


Definitely a Sadist

by Naburi



Category: Naruto
Genre: Akatsuki's Child, Crack Fic, F/M, Love Triangle, Mary Sue, OC Drawings, OC centric, Original Character(s), Overpowered, Plot-Driven
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-04-13
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:02:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 29
Words: 41,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25939363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Naburi/pseuds/Naburi
Summary: "You're just another Yashamaru, Nobara. Another traitor."Nobara is a cold-hearted monster, a murderer in the body of a child incapable of understanding the value of love and other things that involve around it. But as time goes by, it seems she’s not as heartless as she thought she was.
Relationships: Gaara (Naruto)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21
Collections: best fic collection ever read





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This story was written in 2012 by an over-excited amateur kid, who just wrote whatever the fuck she wanted. She thought blood and gore were cool and that evil, sadistic and self-hating girls with no remorse are fun to write. She also liked to sprinkle the OC with unreasonable amount of power, just because.
> 
> Have been proofread and deleted some useless scenes for better Mary Sue experience, but same shitty story-telling as the original. Name changes have been made to attempt unity with the rewritten version of this shitfest. Amateur drawings included. Many short chapters have also been combined.
> 
> READ AT YOUR OWN RISK (8/2020)

My mother was the matriarch of the Country of Ice, hidden upon the blizzards barricading our land. They said she was a strong woman, whose intellect surpassed those she preceded. But that was exactly the point, _she was_.

I never really knew her personally. Because for one, my birth and her death shared the same date.

It was for that reason I bore the hatred of her people, when I was to blame for the life she lost. The Monarchy hated everything that I was, from the way I looked to the blood that ran in my veins, for they married their own to keep their blood pure—but my mother loved an Uchiha.

And _he_ was the reason why I was never close in looking like I belonged. When instead like my mother whose hair and eyes glowed like the moon, I bled black like my father whose colors were that of the darkness.

His blood ran so deep that, one day, my eyes faded from onyx to something they were terrified I would possess.

 _I had his eyes_.

And even more so when I inherited the ice from Mother that always protected me.

They began to fear then what I was capable of, so it was well within their favor, when even with all these so called _gifts_ , I withered with a weak body.

Everything was something I wished I wasn't born with. I had wished I had nothing to protect me, so they could hurt me all they wanted physically. So at least such pain would dominate the ache inside my chest and keep the voices out of my head.

But they isolated me and I grew up in loneliness. _It_ was the only thing that kept me company, a wisp voice that clouded my head, as I grew up inside Hyōgakure until Hanyūdō.

Hanyūdō taught me love—love I had never had the chance to learn before. She visited me despite how opposed the others were of her actions. She gave me medicine and taught me how to read and write.

She caressed the pain I felt until it no longer ached the same as before.

And ever since, my mind developed faster than anybody thought it would. It was Nami who came second in my life.

On days when Hanyūdō would be too busy, Nami was the one who shielded me away from the people who had ill intentions. I was cautious at first from accepting another in my life, but she was nothing but kindness to me.

And only that, because time was not as kind because a few years later, my weak body developed a disease inside me that started to rot inside.

I became bedridden for days, my coughing far worse than it had ever been to the point I began to vomit my own blood. The refusal of the Monarchy had forced Hanyūdō to take matters in her own hands, even though what she did was forbidden and could cause her her life.

But she gave me a new one.

But perhaps, I shouldn't have trusted so much back then. And maybe then, it would have hurt less. Because at the end of the day, I was still robbed of the things I had. No, she never stood by my side to begin with.

Because Nami was a traitor who had fooled me under the orders of the Monarchy to gain my trust so that they could get rid of me. It was her laughter that I remember so very clearly that scarred my heart, yet she paid no care.

Hanyūdō had tried to protect me, to stop the people from taking me away, but in rage Nami had killed the only person I knew who truly loved me.

And that day, I had completely lost it.

Because of what they had done, I had let lose the whispering devil inside of me and I ended up killing those who I tried to forgive. And one by one, I watched myself kill them until I became the demon who they thought I was.

It was that day I gained the Mangekyō Sharingan. I didn't know how many had survived after that day, but I left covered in their blood

And after that, I fled away from the village, never the same again. So in order to protect myself from betrayal and pain again, I encased my heart. I became heartless. Or at least, I pretended to be.

As I burned Hyōgakure to the ground, I also cast the entire nation in flames. I recklessly used my eyes to no end and killed everyone who got in my way to forget I was in pain.

And I had hidden myself since, behind a mask that used to belong to my mother. I became infamous then because of my genjutsu. People who were good, bad, anyone who crossed my path never lived to go back to their families.

They believed me to be a merciless monster who brought nightmares to her victims until they're bitterly dead.

I became Kigura then in the Bingo Book.

I never listened to anyone else then, only to the devil I created. Nobody was able to stop me, wound even. Until that day, the day that Kami decided to take away my eyes.


	2. Recruiting Kigura

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Her pronouns may vary when it comes to third person’s point of view. She may be written as male because they keep confusing her as one, or female because yeah.

**NOBARA'S POV**

I buried her under a sakura tree. Sometimes, I would sleep beside her headstone carved with my own uneven writing of her name, but today is the last day. To witness such a great loss, this must have been what the people of Hyōgakure felt when I stole the life of their Heika.

And it hurts, like a piece of you has been taken to the ground buried with those who have already passed on.

My cheeks are flushed with tears.

She would have been happy to be resting in such a peaceful place, even though such peace is only a farce that deceived people into thinking the world can never be so cruel. But I've witnessed enough to understand that there is no real peace.

It is an illusion made by those who strive for an artificial world of lies. A world for cowards.

And even a day, there is no escape to monsters we call humans.

From far away, it only takes the faint rustle of leave made from human contact to raise my defenses again. And there I hear it, two men mumbling not too far away from this place. I feel my heart consume with hate then, and there it is again: the familiar taste of welcoming darkness.

I pull away from her grave then. I put on my mask and cloak, the only thing that survived in the bloodshed that had my memory of Hanyūdo.

And as I look at her gravestone one last time, it's as if she is there. She is looking at me, waiting for me to depart, leave her like she did when she died.

She is saying my name, I can tell, despite the fact that I can't see the movements of her lips with these eyes, despite the fact that even if I do see, I won't be able to see _her_ anyways.

And even though it breaks me, I remain strong like she always told me to be.

"Goodbye, Hanyūdō," I say softly as I pull on my hood then without turning back again. And just as those words leave my mouth, I feel the weight on my shoulders lift away, disappear into nothing. Because in her grave, I have also buried all the heartaches.

There is only darkness now.

"His name is Kigura, right?" a voice mumbles. They're still too far away, but my sense of hearing can pick them up even they're miles away. "How could a mere child be enough to be considered dangerous?"

"Just shut up or Kisame-dono will kill us," another voice speaks, more arrogant. It's not difficult to know he's the older of the two of them.

"But isn't this just a waste of time? They're already on their way, aren't they?"

Their footsteps, I feel their pressure on the ground as my hand forms a single hand seal.

Because of the rumors after the destruction of the Country of Ice, there had been many people who are after the bounty that have been put on my head. Akatsuki wouldn't have normally bated an eyelash at my existence, but now they seem keen on tracking down my movements.

Though clearly, I have no plans on getting caught.

"You shouldn't have come."

At the sound of my voice, they immediately stiffen, more so when they realize where I am. Even before they have the chance to recoil, I have already stolen their katana from their scabbard.

"I didn't want to soil the ground but... oh well."

The younger man doesn't hear the rest of it though as his head is suddenly sliced diagonally in half, his blood shooting out like a fountain and spraying on his companion's face.

Truthfully, had they been more significant, I could have entertained them a little bit more but...

I swing the sword in the air as the blood soaked on it splatters to the grass. The dead man twitches before he falls to his knees and then collapsing to the ground.

"You—!" The arrogant-sounding man finally recovers from his shock, but what else can a worthless man do?

His fate is already sealed. Because by then, when my eyes bleed red and stings to remind me of everything I have lost, only then do I finally take in the dumb look on his face as he realizes his mistake.

He looked into my eyes.

It comes quick and his eyes suddenly dilate, his eyes widen as his veins bulge and turn purple beneath his skin. On instincts, his hand shoots to sooth the screeching pain that explodes inside his head, but nothing can stop it that he can only scream in agony and beg me to stop.

He takes no wounds from me, but certainly, one's mind is the weakest.

His body thrashes violently and I wonder what he sees through the forced visions I've laid in his head to make him look so frightened and disheveled. I wonder what he truly fears behind his criminal facade.

What does physical pain feel like? Is it like the pain of having been betrayed?

Or perhaps something else?

"I can see why Leader chose you," another voice says from behind me and the sword in my hand immediately rotates back towards the owner of the voice's blue face. But he barely flinches then, instead he grins at me with jagged pointed teeth. "You should put that blade down, lest somebody could get hurt."

"Don't you think it's already far too late to say that?"

"It seems we have someone with humor here, Itachi," he comments in amusement before grabs the weapon strapped on his back and smashes it to my direction. While he blows the katana out of my grasp, he misses his target but he doesn't look satisfied just yet.

To his surprise, however, I don't have plans to keep fighting.

"What—hey!" He flinches as I jump over his weapon and make a run for it. "Itachi!"

At that exact moment, his companion catches up to my light movements through the trees before he blocks my path with a fire release. It blows the hood off my head and some trees catches in flames, but surely the barrier of ice that partially takes form to protect me from the heat is enough to break his disinterest.

"The infamous barricade of ice..." the larger man says in almost fascination after heavy frame caught up. "Why don't we make it easier for ourselves? Why don't we make a deal?"

A deal?

Are they not after the bounty on her head?

"We're not after your life," the fish man assures her. "Our Leader only wants to meet you, so why don't we settle this with a fight?"

"Kisame," his companion named Itachi says almost warningly. Perhaps he's already noticed, the solid ice crawling beneath my shoes and crystalizing those close within its vicinity. 

Is that his name? That mad fish?

Kisame?

"A fight you say?" I almost smirk as I cock my head to his direction. "Well I hope you're ready to loose a limb or two."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the original, her name was Abunai which literally means dangerous. Yes, I have no originality lmao. She was nicknamed Ai too.


	3. Who The Fuck Are You?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just like the rest of the story, this drawing is pretty old and kinda cringy but I want to show it nonetheless. Lmao. That's her in her kasa, mask, and Akatsuki cloak.

****

**NOBARA'S POV**

They weren't lying that they aren't after my life nor the bounty on my head. So I decide that it's quite a waste to be severing limbs, even if it's only one, from a man named Hoshigaki Kisame.

"Should I have went on with it and sliced through your arm?" I ask, because even though he got the fight he wanted, he looks dissatisfied still.

He grips his forearm, mumbling, "I don't know if I should be fishin' happy about not losing an arm or be suspicious that you lost on purpose."

"But you won, didn't you?"

His face twitches. "Then you fishin' lost on purpose then!"

He doesn't seem to be keen on letting it go. Even though I had made it clear that I'm not fooling them, Kisame is adamant to carry me on his back like I will get back on my word and run away as soon as our fight finished.

He doesn't trust me just as I don't trust him.

He smells fishy.

"Kids shouldn't lie and fool adults." He eyes me behind him from the corner of his eye. "The fact that you—"

"Are we there yet?"

"Almost," Itachi answers impassively.

"Don't ignore me!"

But it's fairly easy to ignore him. I only zone out as we fly through the trees in the fastest Kisame can carry his heavy weight around. He seems to realize it's useless to pick a fight with me then as he resorts in grumbling under his breath instead throughout the whole journey.

It doesn't take much long before we stop at a boulder at the bottom of a cliff. But I know it's more than that as I sense waves from behind it.

Itachi performs several hand seals I easily pick up before the boulder moves to reveal a rocky pathway. We walk for several minutes inside before the sound of our footsteps on rough stone change to the sound of tapping against tatami floors.

When we finally reach a destination, Kisame is more than happy to put me down and he and his partner leave me to their Leader. I sense the immense chakra radiating from his eyes and then around his skin in the form of chakra receivers.

His office smells stale, but there is a faint smell of honey lingering by.

"Kigura," the Leader of Akatsuki acknowledges.

"Pain," I imitate him, but it doesn't really quite sound like a name. Though he looks amused that I know this.

"I'm surprised you know of me."

"Only you, but none of the others," I say truthfully. "Some of your underlings can't shut their mouths when faced with death."

"I see." He almost smiles. "Surely you're already aware on why you are here?"

It isn't hard to come to a conclusion on what they want. Considering they aren't after her head, there's only so little other reasons to chose from.

"You have displayed skill that I'm confident will be quite beneficial to Akatsuki."

"Beneficial, you say. But how will Akatsuki be beneficial to me?"

"You will be given accommodation. Akatsuki will provide a roof over your head and most importantly a safe environment where nobody will be coming after your bounty anymore."

"..."

"Considering you came accordingly with two one my men, is it safe to assume you have no objections to count yourself as one of us?"

How arrogant. But then again, I have nothing else as part of my plans. I don't respond, but Pain takes my silence as an answer. He throws a ring to my direction then and I catch it.

"Then starting today, you are an official member of Akatsuki. Keep in mind that we don't usually make a selected shinobi a prominent member, so understand the importance of the opportunity you are given. Know that if you run away or betray us, I'm afraid we won't hesitate to kill you, Kigura."

"That won't be necessary," I assure him, ignoring how he just threatened me just then.

"Then good," he says in satisfaction. "Your cloak will be given later. It is your choice to wear it or not, but during missions you are required to. If you have questions, approach Konan. She will help you."

I only nod, putting the ring on my thumb because it's too big for my ring and pointer finger.

"Then you are dismissed."

When I leave his office, I realize I don't exactly know where I'm going, so I picked up the movements of the wind inside the cave-like pathway and draw a mental map of the place that resembles a large maze.

I keep on walking, just wandering about without any specific destination in mind until a new presence greets me.

"Are you lost, little one?" someone asks from behind me. Momentarily, the eyes flash red for a second to catch a glimpse of the venus fly trap looking down at me in curiosity.

"No," I lie as my eyes dull again.

"You look delicious. What's your name?" It seems his voice changed. It's dark now, but I ignore how strange he is.

"Kigura."

He seems to pause for a moment before he answers, "We are Zetsu."

 _We?_ I thought, and then I realize. _Oh_.

"Okay," I say, not really quite interested. So I just walk around the dumbfounded venus fly trap like he doesn't exist anymore and walk out on him before he can even utter another word.

_What an odd creature._

Throughout my wandering about, I only listen to the sound of my footsteps.

Sense of sight, smell and touch are almost exactly the same thing to me now. I will know the simplest of things just by the sense of smell. I am never easily fooled because of it, and the same goes for my sense of touch.

My skin is highly advanced into sensing movements of people around me. I don't need to _touch_ to know what they are doing. I can tell every single detail even without touching or even seeing them through vibrations.

I can easily discern movement even if they are quiet or in a far distance. I will feel them instantly if they reposition themselves like in water. The pressure people put on the floor when they walk, I can feel it with my feet even through my shoes. The subtle waves of the air lingers the enemy's motions onto my skin.

And right now, I can feel someone. Not the plant named Zetsu, but a very aggressive someone.

"What the hell is a brat doing here?!"

Yes, there is definitely someone there, and unfortunately he's talking to me.


	4. The Other Members

**THIRD PERSON'S POV**

Kigura does it out of pure instincts, the moment she yeets him to the shoji door. And the moment he rips right through to the other room, Itachi stops reading his book and looks up. The other Akatsuki members also stop what they are doing to look at what is happening.

Perhaps throwing a person using wind manipulation isn't exactly the best impression a person could have done. But still, she only did it because he was about to kill her.

Or at least, I _tried_ to.

Groaning, Hidan mumbles profanities after he was thrown like a rag doll across the room and hit his head on the hard stone wall. While the spectators watch quietly, Kisame howls on the other hand in laughter. 

"Oh won't Kigura fit in here just fine," he muses, realizing she is quite amusing when he is not on the receiving end. "So don't worry too much, Itachi."

"What are you talking about?" The Uchiha frowns.

"Well, the way your eyes softened the first time we met Ki—"

"Why you little—" Hidan picks himself up and tries to get in her face, but somehow, even for someone so little, why the fuck is she so fucking intimidating? "Y-You—"

"That's enough," the green-eyed man's voice cuts through the scene from behind Kigura. 

"What do you mean that's enough, Kakuzu? There's a fucking intruder here, I'm just—"

"Kigura is not an intruder," Kakuzu clips him off much to the Jashinist's anger. "Excuse his behavior."

"What the fuck are you blabbering on about?! That brat barged into out territory!" Hidan yells. "I say we sacrifice him to the Lord! To Lord Jashin!"

"Oh Lord." Kisame sighs in almost embarrasment. On the other hand, Kigura pretends not to hear him as it's only a waste of time to be listening to idiots.

"I understand," Kigura answers Kakuzu, completely ignoring the silver-haired man.

"Since you're on probation, you probably don't know a thing," Kakuzu says. "Kigura is the new member—"

"What new member?!" Hidan demands.

As much as he wants to understand the Jashinist, sometimes words just cannot get through his thick skull so Kakuzu hits him instead.

"What the fuck—"

"Shut up and stop screaming." Kakuzu glares at him. "As much as I am doubtful of the child too, but it was Leader who chose Kigura so he has every right to be here as he's the new member."

"A new member, un?" Deidara blinks after a while, curiously looking over the small masked child. The child is definitely much younger than him, perhaps only nine years old.

"Yes, a new member," a softer voice answers this time. Kigura realizes it then, she smelt exactly like the honey from Pain's room. "I apologize for the late introduction. My name is Konan. You'll officially meet the others later. For now, let me escort you to your room."

Kigura follows her without question but, of course, after kicking Hidan on the shin before she saunts off after the blue-haired woman.

"F-Fucking kid!"

And Kigura doesn't know what's more satisfying. To kick him or to hear the pain in his voice. Maybe both.

"I don't fucking like him..." he grumbles under his breath just as the little kid disappears with Konan in the numerous pathways inside the hideout. But much to his annoyance, Deidara and Kisame only laugh at him.

As she accompanies Kigura, Konan fills her in with the details of the originazation. She tells the child of its plans to capture tailed beasts and then a little more about the other members of Akatsuki.

Kakuzu of Takigakure, Sasori of the Red Sand and his partner the criminal bomber Deidara, and the other two she has already met. Hoshigaki Kisame of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist Village and Uchiha Itachi who caused the demise of the famed Uchiha Clan.

For the mean time, Hidan is only one of the temporary members Konan says Kigura shouldn't care about. 

They eventually come about a room and Konan leaves her there. The door is barely a door, but it's still something.

The room is fairly simple. There is only a futon and the cloak Leader mentioned earlier and another door that could have been a bathroom, but she doesn't care enough to find out. She only rolls open the bed and lies on the soft mattress, her blind eyes seeming as if she is staring at the ceiling.

Meanwhile, Kisame sits beside Itachi who is still reading his book on the cough as Kisame sprawls his legs on the wooden coffee table across from them. 

"I swear this circus is growing." Kisame says with a sigh, thinking of the zombie pair Kakuzu and Hidan, Sasori's freaky puppets and Deidara's even more freaky mouths. And there's Zetsu. It's not like their Leader looks normal either and don't get him started with Konan who puts paper origami on her hair.

On the other hand, Itachi wonders if Kisame is also counting himself as part of this circus because he certainly looks the part too.

"What do you think's behind that mask?" Kisame hums. At the moment, for him, Itachi is the most normal of the organization in terms of physicality.

Speaking of masks...

Kisame frowns when that masked man walks into the room like the idiot he is and hides behind the couch. He's about to question what he is doing, but he already gets his answer when he hears Deidara's scream of anger just as a bomb detonates.

With a yelp, Tobi runs out again to the other direction as Deidara appears with half a shriveled blond hair.

"Where is he, un?!"

Kisame points to where the idiot ran to while staring at the blond's ash-blown face. But he looks even more thoughtful, thinking of Tobi and his mask.

"Get back here, Tobi, un!"

"No!"

"I'm just going to rip out your hair, don't be scared, yeah!"

"No, Deidara-senpai!" Tobi yelps, running to the empty room so he can hide from the angry blond. He opens the door and is about to slam it shut, but before he can Deidara slams it open and Tobi flies on his backside.

"Now you're done for, un."

"D-Deidara-senpai, I'm sorry!"

"Eat your sorry, yeah. I warned you didn't I? I said no idiots are allowed to touch or come near my bombs!"

"But Tobi is no idiot, Deidara-senpai!"

The masked man crawls on the tatami as the blond pulls on his leg. In desperation, Tobi grabs the futon, surprised that it isn't just the futon he drags with him.

"Eh?" He blinks. Once. Twice.

He's surprised to be resting on something warm and soft and when he looks up he's met with another mask with slit holes for eyes.

"Is Deidara-senpai also seeing this?"

"Tobi—" Deidara pales as he realizes that Tobi is practically hugging Kigura to the ground. On the other hand, the masked man is more fascinated by the fact that she is far softer than Deidara will ever be.


	5. Roses Are Red And So Are Her Lips Apparently

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The amount of cringe when they argued about her gender made me honestly tear up.

**NOBARA'S POV**

After being kicked out of the room, the masked man named Tobi sobs outside my door with a huge bump on his head and hand marks on his neck when Deidara strangled him for a moment before realizing nothing will come out of it anyway.

"Ki-chan?"

Who the hell is this man anyway? He just met me and he's already given me a nickname.

"Are you in there?"

"Go away." I frown at the door, which just moments ago had been kicked open by that blond boy but he had diligently fixed it up with his clay as if to say he was sorry.

"Tobi is sorry for earlier, Ki-chan. Tobi really is. Tobi is sorry..."

"..."

"Can Tobi come in?"

But as I ignore him for another time, I can almost feel him peeking from underneath the door before sighing and leaning against it.

Had he not been part of Akatsuki, maybe I'd have live through nightmares.

"Tobi promises to be a good boy next time," the man murmurs sadly.

And I pause for a moment, because for some reason, there's something about him that makes me feel strange.

"Alright... Tobi will go now... But Kigura will play with Tobi later, okay?"

But he gets no answer from me even then. I feel his shoulders slump then as he trudge away from my room. And for a moment, I sit on the tatami in silence with the futon sprawled out messily.

Frowning, I push away my thoughts of that masked man and take off my mask. From my back pocket, I pull out bandages that I tie over my eyes. I take off my shoes and tie the remaining bandages around my hands and bare feet.

I am barefooted when I leave my room, the hood of my jacket casting a shadow over my bandaged face.

I spread out my chakra to sense out Konan faster, so I can ask her if I can go out. But searching for her only leads me to the rest of the members.

"Ki-chan!" Tobi screams, about to throw himself at her but he stops himself and puts his hands on his back. "See? Tobi can be a good boy."

"..."

"Tobi is so happy Ki-chan came out." He wipes an invisible tear on his mask. "Does that mean she forgives Tobi now?"

"She? What the fuck do you mean she?" a grouchy voice squeezes into the one-sided conversation. It's that shirtless man again called Hidan. But I think the name Baka suits him a lot more.

I don't need to see how he gives me the stink eye. "Don't get me wrong, okay? I'm not accepting you just yet. You're suspicious to me."

"Ki-chan isn't suspicious! She's only pretty!"

"There you go again with the she. The brat is a boy, got it?!"

"Shut up," Kakuzu growls at the pair and for a moment I thought he won't give a damn until he grabs my face and almost squeezes my cheeks with his thumb and index finger. "This amount of baby fat and this face can only belong to a girl."

"Lips as red as blood," Tobi swoons, not noticing the irony of that. "Skin as pale as sno—"

"Shut your fucking face, you freaking man child." Hidan pushes Tobi's face away before the masked man can even finish what he was saying. "Kigura is a boy."

"No she's not!" Tobi cries.

" _He_ is!"

"N-No—"

When Tobi sputters and looks to Kakuzu for help, Sasori glares at him. Or at least, his puppet armor glares for him. "Beauty does not define gender."

"See?" Hidan says smugly.

"Though come to think of it, it's surprisingly really red, isn't it?" Kisame says in fascination, popping out of nowhere as he crouches down in front of me. "Say, are you a boy or a girl, Kigura?"

Deidara blinks at me, completely enthralled.

"I'm—" I flinch back as Hidan grabs my face and violently rubs my mouth with his sleeve. I try to pull away, but while I'm quite resilient in other things, I have quite normal arms for my age. "Stafit!"

What the fuck is he doing?

For the second time, I kick Hidan on the shin again just to make him, accompanied by ice this time so it hurts more than the first time and he ends up crouching on the floor in pain again.

"Y-You fucking bitch!" He screams at me as I cover my mouth that feels like it's burning from all the rubbing that happened. "I-I was just trying to get it off. Next time you shouldn't be wearing lipstick so people don't get confused by your g-gender, fuck shit that hurts! Don't you fucking hold back at all?!"

"Isn't it well deserved?" Kakuzu smirks down on him, like he has won the lottery.

"Ki-chan, where are you going?"

"You guys are insane," I say angrily as I walk out on them. In the living room, Itachi is alone thankfully.

"Are you alright?" Itachi asks, probably noticing how red my mouth is.

"Do I look like I am?" I grumble. I sit beside him, because by then I'm already too annoyed to look for Konan anymore.

"No. No you don't..." Itachi answers, but he smiles a bit like he is amused. It's the first time he actually cracks a smile, but it makes me confused at what it can possibly mean.

Itachi... is harder to read than most, so I frown at him. But I'm much better at making people confused.

"What..."

"Haven't you had someone sleep on your lap before?"

I read his reactions, but he doesn't give away much anymore. He only pause for a long while, and he's much more relaxed that I thought he would be.

I feel a strange connection with him, and I don't know why that is. Is it because he is also an Uchiha? Is it because we share a bit of the same bloodline?

It really is strange.

* * *

**THIRD PERSON'S POV**

"I never knew you had it in you, Itachi," Kisame teases when he walks in on the scene. He sits beside the Uchiha quietly then with an annoying grin on his mouth.

Itachi doesn't know what his partner means, but when he looks at his lap he realizes it then—Kigura has fallen asleep on him. Her steady breathing say so. She also doesn't resist when Kisame places both her feet on his lap.

"Hmm..." Kisame hums. "Quite a bit harmless when he's asleep, isn't he?"

"Yes..."

"You look like an older brother in this moment, Itachi," Kisame says thoughtlessly before he raises his hands when Itachi looks at him in a strange way.

Itachi can only be one older brother for one person, but for some reason, why does he feel the urge to prod her forehead like he used to with his brother?

"Where are you going?" Kisame asks as Itachi picks Kigura in his arms. 

"I'll take Kigura to his room."

He doesn't understand it himself. Perhaps he only misses the life he could have had. But everything is already well out of his reach. His brother hates him and Itachi made sure of that when he killed the entire clan.

The only thing he can do now is continue on the facade he has perfected over the years.

"Don't you get tired?" Kigura asks.

"Did I wake you?" Itachi asks.

"Pretending something you're not, don't you get tired?" Kigura asks again and the boy pauses as something dwells in his dark eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"Because I get tired too," she says softly. "You don't like it do you? You're not happy with the way things are, but you can only hide behind your mask. In the end, everything is just a facade."

Itachi looks at her as he almost reluctantly lets her go when she pulls away from him.

"That's enough. I can go by myself."

He has perfected his facade for so many years, but in front of Kigura, why does it seem like he's transparent?

But Kigura hates it, how easily Itachi can affect her. So pulls on the bandages around her eyes and drops it on the floor. She crawls to the futon and hides underneath the blankets.

And even though she is alone now, the sound of laughing children fills her ears. But the most she can hear is herself crying. 

_"Aww, look, the murderer is crying," the boy cooed at the five year old girl holding back her tears. The way he mocked her incited more laughter as one traitor tear fell on her cheek._

_There were no wounds on her body, but she was hurting._

_The children looked at her in disgust, yet their laughter didn't die down. To them, she was nothing more than a monster._

_"You don't deserve to live," the boy hissed at her. "After what you've done—"  
_

_"What are you doing?!"_

_The boy flinched when he heard the familiar voice then as the other children with him already began to run away.  
_

_"You're lucky," he sneered. "Don't think we'll go easy on you next time."_

_And with that, he ran away too,_ _even before the owner of the voice could catch up to them._

_"You brats!" Nami yelled in rage after the kids who ran to the safety of their homes. It angered her at how the children didn't listen to the warning she had told them._

_In the end, they would always pick on the young girl or sometimes even throw rocks at her in spite. While her barrier would have protected her nonetheless, the fact that they hated her enough to want to inflict pain scared her._ _But what was worse was their parents never really stopped them. Instead, they helped them secretly and sometimes even do hurtful things themselves.  
_

_"I'm sorry," Nami whispered as she kneeled in front of the child who looked like she was in pain. "It's alright to cry, Nobara. It's alright..."_

_Her voice was so sweet and so warm._

_"Don't worry, Nami-oneechan," the little girl said instead, as if to reassure the older girl. "I'm a big girl now. I won't cry anymore."_

_"Oh, Nobara..." Nami whispered. She caressed Nobara's cheek then with her thumb, just before another traitorous tear fell to her cheeks. The child tried not to cry, but it was hard to keep everything when Nami looked at her that way that she couldn't anymore but burst into a mess of tears._

_Nami could only hug her gently and rub the child's back, whispering soothing words._

_"It's alright now," she reassured. "It's alright..."_

_"_ _It hurts, Nami-oneechan..." Nobara cried painfully._

_"Tell me what hurts. What hurts, Nobara?"_

_"I don't know why, but it's hurting..." she whimpered. "Even though it's not bleeding... this part... it hurts, Nami-oneechan..." She then gripped her chest as tears dripped down on her cheeks. "It hurts so much..."_

_"It's okay. Nami-oneechan is here. Just cry it out..." the older girl soothed, hugging the child tightly in her arms. "I'm here..."_

_And the child can only grip the back of the older girl's shitt as she cried harder. Her eyelids felt so heavy that she grew so tired with sleep. She was so pitiful, she didn't even notice the cruel and empty look in Nami who held her like she truly cared._

_But in the end, it was just a facade._


	6. Say My Name

**NOBARA'S POV**

"Well done," Pain says as he catches the scroll I throw at his direction, the one he had tasked me to retrieve from the Hidden Rock. There are a few stains on it from the blood of the Anbu that tried to protect it but were simply killed by my hands along the way.

"If that is all, then I'll take my leave."

I turn away then, not bothering to wait for him to dismiss me. He doesn't seem bothered either because he knows won't even care if he does or not. Only a few days ago, Pain has grown accustomed to my attitude towards him, and not just him but everything.

The other members have also been quite accepting towards this, save for Hidan who always seems to want to pick a fight with me.

It's not as entertain as when people beg for their lives, but beheading the too often shirtless man and still have him screaming profanities at you is a whole 'nother level of entertainment.

Akatsuki doesn't tolerate killing members without reason, so the fact that Hidan gets killed so often but doesn't really _die_ doesn't really count as rule breaking. But then again, he doesn't have much of a say on anything.

He doesn't even have a say when we're randomly partnered together on several occasions, which always makes the mission harder than it actually is because of how hard-headed the idiot is.

On the other hand, being partnered with Kakuzu proved quicker results. Other times too, she has been partnered with Tobi—but it's always a strange experience even though he has always annoyed her with his cheery antics like always.

Despite all this, there is really something amiss about him. There is something odd about the masked man, something very odd. Not at how he is still alive even though he has completely annoyed me like a pest many times, but at how I sense malice upon him.

Strangely enough, as I think about it, I coincidentally stop in front of his door, which is left a bit open. But it's the sound of a crash that catches my attention, followed by the sound of glass hitting the floor.

I don't need to see how his room is devoid of any light at that moment. But what's strange is how cold it is from the inside. Unconsciously, my hand push on the door and I sense out the man on his knees with his hands to his face.

The room is a mess, thing scattered around like he has thrown everything out of rage. He doesn't even notice me even as I walk pass the door. He seems far too preoccupied with his own thoughts.

Until the sound of glass hits my shoe that I realize what had hit the ground earlier.

Unconsciously, my Sharingan glows on their own as I take in the pendant I picked up on the ground before Tobi seemingly rouses from his daze.

"Nobara...?" he asks almost like he is hallucinating, until his demeanor changes into something chillingly dark before he snaps back to himself. "You... Ki-chan."

It's the same one—the same pendant from Mother's portrait. And I know then that the name he called now can't have been just a coincidence.

"How do you know that name?" I ask him without pause as I grip the pendant in my hand. My Sharingan ceases to disappear. If anything, it glows brighter but he's barely able to see its entirely through the slit holes of my mask.

"..."

He looks at me for a long while, but by then he doesn't look to be playing anymore. Instead, he seems like he decided to drop the act. And then something about him is suddenly colder and almost terrifying.

"None of you were supposed to be back for the next few days."

His new voice is something strange to hear, but out of all the times when I was with Tobi, perhaps this is the only time he is actually real with me.

"You're not Tobi," I tell him without preamble. "Who are you?"

Through the single hole of his mask, I see his eye then, a Sharingan staring right back at me. But while I wait for an answer, he aims for my throat. I was far too distracted that he has me slammed against the wall, but I kick his rib with a crystalized knee and I take that chance to create distance with us.

"Hah..." He laughs momentarily as he begins to stand on his own feet then. And only then does he looks so very imposing. "You should have minded your own business."

"That name is not your business," I sneer at him as I notice him beginning to slip from his controlled demeanor, more so when he notices the pendant in my hand.

"That—" His Sharingan looks ablaze then as he flinches to take it from me. But even as I'm able to step back, he catches my wrist still to force it out of my hand. " _Let go_."

"No," I grit through my teeth as I crystalized my hand so he won't be able to take it away from me. And he becomes so angry that he throws me to the ground. I hit the floor hard, hitting my mask hard enough that I hear it crack.

But even before this, I've already grown weak. He approaches me as he pulls my wrist again, but by then my resolve has dwindled. I hold the pendant tighter against me and I feel my chest tighten.

My mask has long cracked and fallen to the ground. But none of that matters.

The fact is he has my mother's pendant.

He has the Uchiha's eyes.

He knows my name.

"Nobara...?" he says that name again, but this time he doesn't look like he is hallucinating. He just looks at me, like he's seen a ghost, until he looks at me like he is in pain this time.

His grip loosens and he lets go. His arm falls slack on his side as he kneels in front of me, none of the earlier hostility present anymore. And when I look at him again, I know for sure who he is this time.

" _Nobara_ ," he says again, but surer as he suddenly engulfs me in his arms. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry..."

"Why...?"

He pulls away and he grabs my face in his hands.

"I'm sorry I didn't know," he says and I want to say more, but I'm at a loss for words. I feel weak that I can only hold onto him like I need to. "You look so much like her, like your mother. So after all, you were alive."

There is a strange look in his visible eye as his Sharingan fades to onyx. I feel his fear then, his anxiety and his worries. But most of all, I feel his love.

 _Love_.

And yet even though it's here now, all I feel is hollow. I have craved for it for so long, but now... I don't want it anymore.


	7. Weakness

**THIRD PERSON'S POV**

In an instant, she feels disgusted. She feels disgusted enough that she pulls away from the masked man with much force that it startles him, but what startles him more is the sob breaks from her throat and the tears in her eyes when he finally looks at her again.

And his eyes soften that his hand reaches out again to comfort her, to soothe her trembling shoulders, but she flinches away from him.

" _Don't touch me_ ," Nobara says almost venomously despite her tear stricken face and her pale face distorts into pained anger.

She glares at him with so much hatred it hurt him.

"Nobara...—"

"You don't have the right to call me that!" she screams at him, but even then her eyes fill with tears. She is shaking when she creates a distance between them, as if being near him alone makes her feel sick.

He makes her feel sick.

"Why now?" she asks him. "After so many years, why appear now and act as if you cared?!"

All those years she waited for him. All those years she clung to the hope that someone, out there, could love her unconditionally. Someone she can call her own.

"Was I not worth it enough?"

"No, you are! You are—" His voice breaks as he answers. "You're more than enough."

"Then tell me why," she almost begs him. "Tell me why I had to be abandoned in that place. Tell why I had to lose so much."

"It's not your fault," he tells her softly. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry..."

"That's not what I wanted to hear," she whispers, backing away from him, his answer only causing her more pain. Her body trembles as her anger and hatred dissipate, until there is only sadness. "If I had been enough then I wouldn't have been here.

"I would have been happy somewhere else. Because even if they had condemned me for my existence, that wouldn't have mattered in the slightest— _because I had you_."

And his heart breaks as each word stabs through his chest like a dagger.

"So I waited, even though it was foolish. Hanyudo told me not to hope, but I did. I hoped that you would come back for me. I hoped that you would have taken me away from that place. But in the end, I was still that unwanted child without a mother and a father."

"You're not unwanted," he insisted.

"That's not what they said." She shakes her head. "And I believed them."

"But I'm here now. I can make things better," he tells her almost pleadingly.

Yes, make up for all that he has lost.

"That doesn't matter now, does it?" She smiles at him, even though there is only pain in her eyes. "What matters is, you weren't there when I needed you most, were you?"

And this is enough to silence him. Because it's the truth. He left her in village of hatred to fend for herself and he hadn't done enough. He hadn't done enough for her.

It's the sort of truth that is hard to swallow, but at least it is better than being fed lies.

She backs away from him then as he wipes his tears with the back of his hand, and he can only look at her in pain.

"Don't worry," she tells him with a small smile. "You can pretend you never had a daughter to begin with, just like you have always done."

And just like that, she walks out of his room without looking back. The man doesn't stop her, because what right does he have? Perhaps it is also because he is ashamed too.

She was right.

_He could have tried harder._

But how he had let go so easily, he might as well had abandoned her like she meant nothing.

He collapses to his knees then as he picks up the pendant he had tried to get from her, but she so easily dropped it now. He holds it close to his chest as his expression tightens.

"I'm sorry," he says, gripping the pendant a little tighter. "It's my fault. I made her like that, my love. It's my fault..."

He embraces the blame, because he knows it's his.

"I'm so sorry."

Meanwhile, Nobara runs away to her room and buries herself underneath the sheets of the futon. And she doesn't know if she should laugh or cry, because perhaps this is only her punishment for everything she has done.

She closes her eyes and the tears begin to fall once more. She wills herself to sleep then, thinking that perhaps, it will make the ache in her chest to go away then, to have a little rest without pain and sorrow.

But when you're as tired as she is, it isn't so difficult to find sleep. But before her mind drifts off towards a dreamless sleep, she hears something whisper in her ear again. It is inside her head, but it’s her thoughts.

She knows... it is something much more sinister than that.  
  
_"You're weak."_


	8. Something About Nobara

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How the fuck did I pull this idea out of my ass when I was younger?

**THIRD PERSON'S POV**

For some reason, the new member has rarely left his room as everyone in the Akatsuki can remember. He has only come out when Pain gives him missions and he now interacts less with the other members, especially the masked man whom they call Tobi.

Kigura has almost completely isolated himself.

Gathering around the kitchen, nobody notices this is the first time they have sat down at the same table and ate together. 

Usually, it has been Konan to be first, knowing the appropriate times to eat, and then Pain and Itachi moving on to the most reckless who doesn't care about mealtimes (Zetsu not included).

"Where are you going?"

"Bringing Ki-chan's food to her," Tobi answers, rather too normally. "Because Tobi is getting worried."

Deidara looks at him for a moment, but nods slowly anyway before Tobi left. The kitchen is still as silent as it has been for a couple of days now and so is the entire hideout. Ever since that day, Tobi has also been acting weird.

It isn't just Itachi who noticed it, but also everyone else, though no one tries to point it out that Tobi is acting... less like Tobi. He doesn't scream as much as before. You can actually hold a normal conversation now. Despite his gloominess, he doesn't act stupid anymore, and actually... seem like a normal person.

Despite this normalcy, however, it's actually quite not normal to see him so normal.

When it comes to Kigura, Tobi is acting like a lost puppy who is craving for its owner's attention. And even though they are supposedly heartless and cruel criminals, this makes everyone in the Akatsuki worried for no reason though they still try to keep up with their characters. 

Even Itachi is starting to get impatient to figure out what is going on. For sure, it has to be something big enough it can actually make someone like Tobi change so much over the days. It seems like it was only yesterday, the masked man was screaming at how he was a good boy and now...

"I don't like this new Tobi, un," Deidara says, frowning and failing to hide his concern.

"I wonder what the hell happened to him," Hidan mutters, looking uninterested even though on the inside he too wants to ask a lot of questions. "The guy acts like someone died."

"And what about Kigura?" Deidara adds.

"What about him?" Hidan asks, trying to sound like he doesn't care.

"What about him?" Deidara repeats what the Jashinist said. "Are you being a stupid bastard again, Hidan? You know what's happening to the little kid, and all you say is: what about him?"

"Deidara," Sasori warns. "Stop it already. Getting angry wouldn't do anything."

"You know what, Sasori-danna, un? Shut up for once," says Deidara, surprising everyone. "This may not be a serious matter for you, Hidan, since you hate Kigura and all, but it doesn't mean you have to openly express your so-called hatred."

Hidan glares at him. "If you don't shut up, I'll—”

"Or you'll what? Pulverize me?" Deidara taunts. “Kill me? Sacrifice me? Give this brat to your Lord Jashin?"

For the first, Hidan doesn't react violently as he normally would have. "I don't hate the brat, okay...?"

"Then I must be blind not to see that," Deidara says angrily, as if baiting Hidan to tell them more.

"I don't like getting beheaded and getting my head stuffed under Tobi's bed, but it doesn't mean I hate the kid. Not anymore at least. Everyone is the same, aren't they? Disliking and liking him at the same time," Hidan says to them all, but they give him no answer as he expected. "Kakuzu, you like him better than getting partnered with me, I get it. Kisame, someone to spar with. Zetsu, someone who feeds you. Konan, someone to spoil. And, Deidara, someone to terrorize people with."

Sasori's about to sigh in relief until Hidan includes him.

"And you, Sasori, you lowkey tsundere. We all know you're eager every time Kigura expresses his opinions on your puppets," Hidan says, making the puppet master glare at him. "So I guess what I'm really trying to say is, there's a connection between all of us with Kigura. And I know you know what the hell it is, even you, Leader, and most especially you, Itachi. Don't think I haven't noticed."

And everyone follows Hidan's gaze, towards the Uchiha.

Itachi is about to act like Hidan doesn't know what he's talking about, but the Jashinist is too spot on with everyone.

He isn't wrong. Itachi may have acted like he doesn't care, but in truth he does. He always finds himself wondering about Kigura and her well-being. He may have acted indifferent, but he always worries for the little member of the organization.

At first, he thought he is only bothering because Kigura reminds him of his brother Sasuke. But he knows that's not it.

"That's some grown up words, Hidan," Kisame teases.

"You've surprisingly grown, Hidan," Pain says.

"I fucking did, didn't I?" Hidan says, rubbing his nose almost proudly. Acceptance seems to settle on them then, and even though they try to hide it, they smile even if it's just a little. And for the first time, Pain smiles almost proudly at the members. 

Certainly, they are a weird 'family'.

* * *

The food clatters to the floor as the masked man takes a step back. Nobara is there, standing a few feet away from him, and wearing the mask that reminds him so much of the past that it makes him wince.

"Nobara, I—" He stops himself when he remembers what she told him.

“ _You have no right to call me by my name.”_

"I..." he trails off.

"If you have nothing to say, you can leave." She turns away from him then and he flinches to follow her.

"I wanted to apologize!" He feels so vilnerable in front of her. He tries to look through her mask, but he can only see darkness from within. "I'm sorry. I'm really for sorry for everything I've put you through—for _everything_.

"And I wasn't lying," he says as he looks at her sadly. "You really do look like her."

* * *

_"This is mommy?" Big, black eyes stared widely towards the old woman who looked down at the little girl with a gentle smile._

" _Yes," the old woman replied. "She is."_

_"Mommy's so pretty!" She beams proudly. "Will I also be like her one day, Hanyūdo-obaasan?"_

_And old woman patted the child's black hair. She had just turned five._

_"Of course, you will be, child," Hanyūdo assured with a sweet smile. "She is your mother, after all."_

_In the portrait, the woman held_ _a subtle smile on her natural red lips, her flowing snow-white hair curling in gentle waves and her pale moon eyes, a color that was even unique to the clan of gray eyes._ _Her snow white skin glistened even in the canvas and she wore her elegant black kimono._

_She was truly beautiful and she was just as much of a beautiful person inside.  
_

_Of all the Heika who ruled the Country of Ice, she was the only emale_ _who had surpassed her predecessors even when she inherited the throne at a tender age. She had showed such resilience and authority that the people held great respect for her._

 _She was hailed as a genius who had an entire army under her command during the Third War and her father's reign._ _And over the years, she made Koori strong, so strong that no other village dared to come against it._

_As a young woman of noble blood, she was expected to marry within the family so the bloodline could remain pure. But she had shamed her family when she professed love for an outsider of the Uchiha bloodline.  
_

_To people who held prejudice against outsiders, they did not trust him for their Heika. So behind the Heika's back,_ _they compelled against him to drive him away._

_They saw him as a stain who would ruin their Heika and they weren't wrong._

_He had claimed he had loved her, but in the end he left their Heika for an unknown journey with a fragile promise of a return. And while their Heika promised to wait for him, the months that followed without news began to deteriorate her health._

_For months, no one had heard of him and no one had spoken about him in her presence_ _. It was as if he never existed, but he was real enough that their Heika withered with his memory and promises._

_She waited until she grew sick and tired that she had went into early labor.  
_

_"Heika-sama!" Hanyūdo cried for the woman who had been revered as a formidable leader had been so weak in labor. She was so thin, paler than she had been, and she was screaming in pain and agony. "Please hang in there, Heika-sama. Everything will be alright. We'll—"_

_"This is my fault," the Heika sobbed as she gripped the old woman's hand in a death grip. "If I had taken care of myself... If I hadn't been so selfish... I wouldn't have burdened everyone."_

_"Please, Heika-sama, don't blame yourself..."_

_"This is my atonement." The Heika smiled in pain and tears. "I don't care what happens to me, just promise me, please... please deliver this child safetly."  
_

_"I-I promise..."_

_"Then I trust you."_

_The medics present looked at her in pain too, sadness for the Heika they loved and respected. Complications for the birth had forced them to resort into cutting the Heika open until finally the little girl everyone was anxiously waiting for was here._

_And she was beautiful, a mirror image of her mother with her tousled snow-white hair. And her eyes, they were the same as her mother's._

_She was so tiny._

_The fact she didn't cry alarmed them. She was so weak and pale, and her heart—her heart was failing._

_The Heika's tears clouded her vision as she heard the fading heartbeat of her beloved daughter. And it frightened her, to loose someone she loved again. She knew her daughter wasn't going to make it.  
_

_"Heika-sama!" Hanyūdo said in worry as the Heika stood to her feet to see her daughter's face under the scrutiny of the medics that they backed away to make way for her.  
_

_"A life for a life..."_

_"You can't mean..."_

_"Yes, Hanyūdo." the Heika smiled despite the pain. Standing alone was a struggle, but it didn't matter. She only walked closer to her feeble child and stroked her cheek with trembling hands.  
_

_Her daughter... she was the smallest baby she had ever seen. She alone could fit in her mother's hand, her feet no bigger than ber mother's thumb. Yet she was still so beautiful even under the harsh light of the room and it stole her mother's heart._

_She deserved to live, the Heika thought to herself as she prepared for the forbidden jutsu._

_"A life for a life..." she said again as she closed her eyes, remembering the times when she whispered to her growing belly. She realized just how much she had grown to love her enough to give everything up._

_And as if they understood, the people present in the same room bowed for the last time because they knew there was nothing to be done if the Heika willed it._

_"I love you, my little one. Mother loves you so much. And when you grow up," she spoke softly as tears fell to her cheeks. "I want you to tell your father... that I love him just the same."_

_And just like that, the jutsu began._

_Shinigami Keiyaku._

_It happened so quickly. There was only pain and agony in the beginning as she begged for the neast for another soul, and then nothing. Nothing at all. A_ _s if the pain from before had vanished like it wasn't there in the first place before she finally collapsed to the ground._

_And a small heartbeat, out in the background, began to sound. Gone sere those moon eyes and snow-white hair then. And instead, they ink black just like the man who had abandoned everything._


	9. Gaara of the Sand

**THIRD PERSON'S POV**

Kigura has been tasked numerous missions for several days in a row now, and each mission she takes her time. For that reason, she never stays long in hideout anymore before leaving for a task that the members hasn't seen much of her lately.

But she only wants to get away from Tobi.

"What the fuck did you do?" Hidan asks in outrage one day when he finally sees her after a long time. She's holding strands on her hair in her hand and her hand is left really short.

"Be quiet, you," Kigura says, refrainijg herself from sneering at him. "It's none of your business."

"B-But your hair!" he exclaims almost diving to catch the strands in his hands when I drop it on the floor. "What the fuck, Kigura? Why did you cut it?!"

"It doesn't matter."

"What do you mean it doesn't matter?!"

"It's exactly what it is," Kigura almost sneers this time, but ends up grumbling while resting a hand on her head so she won't loose her temper again. "It will grow back in a few days."

"What kind of fucking hair grows back in a few days?!" he asks me like she was only bullshitting him. He makes a face that Kigura wonders if it is as ugly as she's thinking it is.

"Why did you cut it?" Itachi asks after walking in on them. He's looking at her intently, not sure if it's because it's been a long time or it's because Kigura has really short hair now or it's because Hidan is hugging her cut strands to his chest.

"It was getting in the way," she answers. "And for a mission."

"Mission?" Hidan asks.

"An assassination in Suna," she answers. Or at least, to fake it. She is to fake an assassination on a certain jinchuriki in Suna to learn about the host for the benefit of Akatsuki. But for the Kazekage that hired her, he doesn't know that she won't actually be following through his request.

It's as the Leader wills it.

"But you just had a mission. Why are you going to another—" Hidan tries to stop her but she is already walking away from him. He doesn't follow like he normally does because he realizes what his actions is proving. "Why the fuck are you smiling?"

"It's nothing." Itachi shakes his head.

"W-What do you mean? I didn't miss or will I ever miss that little monster, okay?!" Hidan exclaims, flushing and at the same time knowing full well it hasn't really been the same since Kigura's been gone for most of the time.

He doesn't want to admit it, but he can't really remember a time when the hideout hasn't been noisy. Even though he's always the receiving end of the laughter.

Itachi leaves Hidan to ponder by himself as he catches up to the small masked kid.

He has noticed she hasn't been herself lately, even though she's still as ruthless as she usually is, especially with Hidan. Something is quite amiss and it bothers him.

"Itachi?" Kigura turns when she notices his presence approaching closer. But he surprises her when he prods two fingers on the forehead of her mask that she takes a step back a little.

"Be careful," he says, smiling softly at her. And without another word, he leaves Kigura standing there dumbfounded in the hallway then as her hands touch the place he prodded.

And she feels warm for a moment that she forgets what happened with Tobi for a moment. But in the end, it's only a momentary feeling. She smiles almost sadly as she shakes her head before returning to her room.

She strips off her Akatsuki cloak and replaces it with a poncho. She doesn't use bandages this time and leaves her mask behind. And as she does so, she doesn't waste another moment as her hand forms a hand seal.

While it takes several days to travel to Suna, she prepares for a Space-Time Technique to cut back the travel time to mere seconds when a large wirl wind sucks her in. She expects to be transported in Suna then, but she did not expect to crash land on a shield of sand.

* * *

**NOBARA'S POV**

"Get off," I hear the jinchūriki sneer from underneath me.

"I'm sorry." My cheeks feel warm as I get off of him and dusting off the sand. He doesn't seem happy as he looks at me coldly, but I only extend my hand to help him out. He looks surprised for a moment, but he pushes away my hand and and glares at me. 

It takes me a moment before I notice the sand crawling towards my direction then, and instantly I know he is a sand-user. I wasn't informed by Leader, but I'm not surprised either.

Though instead of evading his sand, I remain in the same spot to his surprise until a girl's voice catches his attention.

"Gaara!" the female stranger says, looking at the boy for a moment before her eyes glance towards me, seemingly concerned for a moment.

"What do you want, Temari?"

"Father..." She hesitates. "Father is looking for you..."

A cold look flashes across his face then and Temari looks away, as if afraid that he will do something unforgivable.

Gaara leaves then without another word before the girl named Temari turns to me.

"What were you doing?" she asks in almost anger, as if she is worried for something. "You could have been killed!"

Ah.

"But I wasn't," I tell her.

She looks like she can't believe me for a moment before she shakes her head in disbelief. "Look here, kid, Gaara isn't normal. Unless you want to get killed, don't approach that... that monster..."

And just the mention of that, I suddenly feel cold at her words.

"Aren't you his sister?" I ask her, knowing that from the data Leader gave me. Had I been a Suna citizen, I would have known that too so she doesn't get suspicious. "You're his sister yet you say such cruel things."

"Because he deserves to be called that way," she says, her voice pitching into what seems like anger. "He killed out uncle. Whag he did was unforgivanle. He deserves to be hated."

"But he's only a boy."

"W...What...?"

"He's only a boy and he's carrying a monster," I tell her and she stops for a moment. "So what right do you have to put the blame on him?"

"I don't understand—"

I start to walk away, appearing as if I'm looking at her from the corner of my eye. "You don't understand because you don't try to."

* * *

"Go away," Gaara tells me, glaring at me. "Hasn't Temari told you already?"

"She did," I hum before smiling at him. "But it doesn't matter. I want to be your friend."

"Friend?" He frowns at what I say until he chooses to ignore me by walking away. But I only match his pace, much to his annoyance. 

As expected, we receive glances from the villagers, but their hateful eyes is something I am already used to as much easier to ignore.

I'm still much smaller than Gaara, so I stumble behind him that I grab his sleeve and he looks at me.

"What are you doing?"

"Am I not allowed to be your friend?" I ask him seriously, a tone of innocence easy to fabricate as I frowned at him. This makes his glare falter before he looks away.

"I'm not suited to be called a friend..." he says quietly as he refuses to meet my eyes. "So you should go now. I'm sure you know everything I've done."

"But it's lonely by yourself, isn't it?" And my question makes him stop. "So it's better to be alone together!"

"What..." For a moment, his eyes spark with hope, until something inside him pulls back almost as if afraid. "What do you know?"

And the sound of pain in his voice is almost familiar.

He wants to trust, but something inside of him is preventing him from doing so. It influences him so strongly he doesn't trust himself.

"Go home," is the only thing he says before he looks away and leaves me standing there. But from him, I know what I sensed.

It was blood lust.


	10. You Can Change Colors!

**THIRD PERSON'S POV**

Since Nobara left for her mission, Tobi thinks about many things. How he has missed out a lot with his daughter and Kо̄yо̄. He thinks of Kо̄yо̄.

 _"I missed you,"_ he can still sometimes hear her voice whenever he closes his eyes. She disturbed his silence and his sleep. 

He clenches her pendant close to his chest as he remembers again, how she would invade invade his mind so sweetly and painfully anymore. Memories of her should have brought him happiness, and yet remembering her only brings him grief and guilt.

"What have I done, Kо̄yо̄?" he asks her as if she will answer. "What have I done?"

He was foolish to have given up when the Country of Ice fell into ruins. He was foolish to have lost all hope. And he is still so foolish now.

That's why, when he realized who Kigura is for the first time, he held her because he thought if he didn't she would disappear.

He has always thought of her that sometimes he would grow lucid in his wake.

He thought about her likes and dislikes. What does she eat? What is her favorite food? Does she like dangos as much as he does and does she swish it around before she eats it like her mother?

All these questions and he knows nothing. He knows nothing about her at all, knows nothing of how she eats or what she likes, knows nothing of what she loves.

And he feels shame for it. He feels ashamed that she has someone like him as a father.

* * *

Nobara couldn't leave Gaara alone that she follows him eventually, but she is taken aback when she sees what he's done as his sand slowly retreats back into his gourd.

"You've killed," she say out in the darkness and the boy flinches at her presence.

It's dark and the breeze of midnight in a high temperature place like Suna is surprisingly chilly. He looks indifferent, but there is an undertone of murderous intent in his eyes that seem to glow in the shadows.

"What are you doing here...?" Gaara asks, a silent threat in his voice. "You..."

He flinches as his hand shoots to cradle the pain in his head.

"After seeing this... are you going to run away like others now too?" he asks her like he expects her to do the same. "Do you fear me now? Do you hate me?"

And each question, he looks like he's going to lash out, but deep down inside he's afraid—for something he doesn't want to happen anymore.

"I don't hate you, Gaara," she says.

"What...?"

"I don't hate you," she says firmer this time.

"I don't understand," he answers, the murderous intent in his eyes fading as he looks at her. "Why...?"

"Because whatever it is, I'll believe you," she tells him with a small smile as she outstretches her hand to offer it. "I'll stand by you, so I'll ask again. Will you be my friend, Gaara?"

And for a moment, he stands there in silence until his expression softens and finally takes her hand. "You're an idiot."

"But I'll be your idiot, won't I?" She grins at him.

And ever since then, it's difficult to see them apart.

* * *

It hasn't been half an hour since Nobara has been waiting inside the Kazekage's building after Gaara literally ordered her to stay put and not touch anything. And she waited, until she sees Gaara's elder sister Temari by happenstance.

"You..." she says in recognition and Nobara introduces herself much to the older girl's surprise.

"I wanted to apologize," Nobara starts, recalling how rude she was towards Temari even though she was only telling the truth. She knows she shouldn't have taken that kind of approach.

"Ah..." Temari says awkwardly. "It's alright... It was mostly my fault too. I wasn't watching what I was saying."

"Temari, who's that?" a brown-haired boy asks from the older girl's side.

"This is Nobara."

"Hello," Nobara greets him and he seems awkward all of a sudden.

"Hi," he replies, scratching the back of his head shyly. "I'm Kankurō."

He looks curious too.

"Nobara," says a voice and the black-haired girl turns. "Let's go."

"Oh. Well, it was nice meeting both of y—"

Gaara doesn't even let her finish before he grabs her hand and pulls her away from his siblings like he doesn't want to share her. And as he holds her hand, she squeezes it right back that he smiles for a moment.

"Is that..."

"What?"

"Did you just smile?"

"..."

"Why are you hiding? Can I see it again clearly this time?"

"No," he answers almost embarrassed.

"Please?"

"No," he says again, pulling away when she pokes his cheeks.

"No?"

"No."

"Why not?"

Nobara turns to pinch his cheeks to force him to smile, but somehow they manage to stumble down to the sand. She ends up straddling him and taking advantage of the position.

"Gaara-chan, I just want to see it again!"

"No!" He covers his face then, hiding from her.

"Gaara-chan?"

"Don't look at me. It's embarrassing," he replies with a muffled voice and it's only then Nobara realizes just how warm his cheeks are. With a flash of her Sharingan, she realizes his face is pink but he refuse to look at her.

"There's something wrong with your cheeks," she tells him seriously.

"That's not—"

Suddenly, she takes his cheeks in her hands and rests her forehead against his as he blinks. It takes her a while to realize he isn't ill as what he thought him to be.

So why is he pink?

When she pulls away from him, he blinks again and his face turns a shade darker.

What the—people could change colors?

To Nobara, Gaara looks so extraordinary.

"You... You're really good at changing into red," Nobara tells him, poking his cheeks again. "You can change colors!"

This makes him him even redder. 

"W-Wha—! That's so cool! The color of your hair!" Nobara exclaims. "How do you do that? Teach me!"

"Y...You can't just teach people to change colors."

"You can't?"

He looks at her strangely. She doesn't even understand how compromising their position is at the moment, so Gaara gently gets her off with a sigh.

"It... takes too long to explain..."

"Then make it short."

"It's also complicated," he adds.

"Then make it simple!"

"Emotion," he answers, giving up. "It's emotion, Nobara. You change colors with emotions."

"I don't get it." She frowns. 

What does emotion do with changing colors?

The sun is slowly setting. Nobara sneezes and she checks her temperature, but she doesn't seem to have any fever either.

"Let's go, okay?" Gaara grabs her hand and he is warm again.

Maybe it was a fever after all.

* * *

"Do you think it's alright to leave him alone, Nagato?" the blue-haired woman asks in worry. "What if—"

"Konan," Pain cuts her off with a sigh. "He may be like that, but he is still Madara. Don't forget that."

"But you... You haven't noticed, have you?" Konan looks worried as she looks at him. "Don't you think it’s a little bit too strange for him to act like this over such matters...?"

Pain understands what she means now, but...

"This isn't supposed to be how he should be acting," she continues. "He's supposed to be a heartless man! Yet..."  
  
"He not acting like one," Nagato finishes quietly.  
  
They are almost getting everything right. But they've certainly been fooled to think that Tobi is Uchiha Madara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know what I was thinking. Someone just got murdered and Nobara's like, "Forget the dead body. Let's be friends?"


	11. The Betrayer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I remember saying this is a drawing of Gaara and Nobara if she was in her original body. Idk why the fuck I drew weird heads like these back in the day.

****

**THIRD PERSON'S POV**

In the end, Kankurō doesn't trust her after all. "Stop pretending."

"What do you mean?" Nobara asks him, as if teasingly. She already knows he noticed it long before. Or perhaps he had a small idea about his father's agreement with Akatsuki.

"I've been observing you for a while now. Do you think you can fool me with your pretty little face just like my sister?" he asks me almost as if he's proud. "Stop the transformation technique. Pretending to be young... What do you want with my brother?"

And she almost shakes her head in disappointment.

Still lacking...

"A protective sibling, hn?" Nobara asks him in a cold, menacing voice. This makes hi flinch as she smiles darkly at him.

"Finally showing your true self, I see," he says warily.

 _Kill him,_ something whispers in her ears but she tries to tune it out.

"Do you want to know a little secret, Kankurō?"

The boy unconsciously takes a step back before the girl suddenly appears in front of him in a blink of an eye.

Controlling the wind, she pushes him down to her height as she draws closer to his ear. "I suggest you mind your own business, because if you get on my bad side... I'm sure you won't survive."

* * *

"Gaara?" Temari calls out hesitantly as she approaches him.

"What is it?" Gaara turns, his tone less harsher than she remembers and her eyes soften.

_Was this the right thing to do?_

She isn't surer if it is. She is still scared that... that he might be what she thought he was. She has never gotten close to him before, let alone talk to him straight. But right now, in this moment...

"I'm sorry," she says and Gaara stops in surprise at her words. "I've wanted to say it for a while now, to say sorry... for everything. I know I might not have been the best sister... That's why I'm not expecting your forgiveness, but I at least wanted to say it."

"You're apologizing?"

"I've realized a lot of things lately."

"Is it Nobara?" Gaara asks and Temari looks alarmed that he might misunderstand.

"I didn't do it just because—"

"I know," he says almost too softly. "It's okay, sister. I forgive you."

Temari blinks for a moment at what she just heard before she feels incredibly warm. In the end, Nobara was right. Gaara wasn't a monster at all. He is just her little brother.

* * *

"Has ill motives you say?"one of the elders asks.

"Yes, sir," Kankurō replies, still a bit shaken. He looks at his father in the middle of the round table. "She said it herself, Father. I'm not quite sure, but I'm suspicious that she knows something that involves you too..."

The Kazekage freezes, his expression turning serious. "What sort of information?"

"I-I don't know..." Kankurō looks terrified.

"What is your decision, my Lord?" another elder asks. "It would be wise to make it now. That girl might be a threat to this village."

Of course she is, the Kazekage thought.

He's the one to hired her in the first place and gave her the task to assassinate his son Gaara. But he didn't expect the mercenaries would pry into his affairs too.

If the village knew of what the girl knows this moment, he's left with no choice.

"Kill the girl tonight."

* * *

Nobara is about to approach Gaara by the sandy cliffside, that is until a boy a boy throws a rock towards his direction. Gaara doesn't notice this, but he doesn't need to when the sand shoots up to protect him.

"Monster!" the little boy screams and Gaara barely glances at him. Nobara approaches them and when the boy sees her he is a bit surprised.

"Hello," she says him nicely and for a moment Gaara looks confused at what she is doing. The little boy fidgets. "Do you want to go to a special place with me?"

Gaara is even more confused.

"What kind of place?"

"It's place where only special children go," she says. "Like you."

"Really?" His face sparkles. "Where is it?"

"The slave trade market."

Shocked at what she said, Gaara looks at her, but Nobara only smiles as the little boy stumbles back. He looks terrified all of a sudden, but she is only smiling at him like it's a good thing.

"Or maybe you'd rather I sever one of your limbs since the only thing it's good at is throwing rocks at my friends," Nobara sneers and the boy pales even more.

The boy then quickly scrambles to his feet and runs away crying. He trips every second before he actually disappears into the distance and Nobara sighs.

"Why did you do that?" Gaara shakes his head, not sure if he should be amused or not.

"Sometimes you have to scare them a bit if they're not scared enough of you," she says, wriggling her fingers and then sitting beside him on the cliffside.

Nobara hums and Gaara smiles, closing his eyes and enjoying this peaceful time with her. Nobara admires him for that, that regardless of all that he has been through, he's still strong unlike she used to be.

"What's your dad like?" Gaara asks out of the blue and Nobara suddenly stops.

"What's with that question?"

"I was just curious." His looks into the distance. She knows he's only genuinely curious. "He must have been a good man to have raised a daughter like you."

"Not really..." Nobara mumbles under her breath. "I... don't know, really."

At this, Gaara looks at her but he doesn't meet her eyes.

"I'm confused, Gaara," she tells him honestly as she thinks about that masked man. But then she feels his hand grab hers as he gives her a small squeeze.

"You don't have to be," he tells her. "You have me, don't you?"

_But you don't understand..._

_Nobody can_ , something whispers distantly inside her head. 

The sun is already setting, almost gone in the line of horizon. It isn't long before the sky darkens and the stars begin become visible in the sky.

"Do you like me, Gaara?" she asks him and he stops for a moment at her question. And then he looks at her, like really, _really_ looks at her.

"I do," he answers. "I like you so much."

And she smiles, but she feels so sad.

"I like you too," she whispers and this time she squeezes his hand back. But it isn't for reassurance like he did, but for hope. "You're my best friend, Gaara. You'll always be."

And he must have noticed only then as his eyes soften with concern. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, Gaara," she tells him sincerely, but they aren't given enough time when three Sand Anbus decide to appear out of thin air, accompanied by the Kazekage. "I really am sorry, Gaara."

It comes too soon.

* * *

**NOBARA'S POV**

"Father?" Gaara looks surprised to see the Kazekage. "What are you doing here—"

"Stand back, Gaara," Rasa says, his voice forceful. Not once has his gaze left me and I commend him for taking the precaution. "This girl is not to be trusted, so stand back. You're in the way."

"So your other son was no fool after all." I stand up and Gaara looks up at me.

The Anbus behind the Kazekage position themselves then into a fighting position as they analyze me, but nothing gives me away.

As if taking this chance as a moment of weakness, three Anbus decide to attack now as one of them throws dozens of kunai in my direction. I suppose this is their way of threatening me, but nothing hits me at all.

They look surprised when they see the barrier of ice that partially encases me as they step back. Perhaps they see the likeness of this ability with their own jinchuriki.

And I begin to smell the fear then just as my eyes begin to ink red.

"W-What's going on...?" Gaara looks up at me, searching for answers. "Nobara?"

"That girl was supposed to kill you, Gaara," the Kazekage answers without remorse but his son doesn't look like he wants to believe it.

"T...There must be some mistake..."

"There isn't a mistake, my foolish son." The Kazekage glares at him. "She was never your friend to begin with. She was only there to test your ability as the jinchuriki. Is that right?"

And then he looks at me, daring me to answer so he can at least get what he wanted from me in the first place.

To provoke Gaara and see if he is worth it.

"That's not true," Gaara says, refusing to believe his father, but his eyes are filled with pain already. "She would never lie to me!"

"Then why don't you ask her?"

"Tell me Father is lying..." Gaara begs me, his voice breaking. "Nobara, please... Tell me they're lying..."

"He's telling the truth."

But my silence proves enough of an answer as something inside of him triggers. His beautiful green eyes changes into a terrifying gold then as he trembles. He is trying to control himself, but perhaps it's far too difficult for a child to control an age old beast.

"Why...?" he asks me, his voice half of something I don't recognize. Shukaku. "I-I don't understand, Nobara..."

The Kazekage flinches as he begins to feel the overwhelming chakra then.

"You were my friend!" Gaara screams before launching himself to me on all fours, his body moving on its own. His speed almost catches me off guard, but I'm quick enough to form hand signs lightning speed.

 _Wood Release_.

Thick branches of wood emerges from the ground then to subjugate the Anbus as well as block Gaara's path, but his movements are quick enough that he changes direction in an instant. The wood turns to imprison him and he evades it again with great speed.

But still, he isn't good enough to evade it completely.

He screams as the second wave of wood emerging finally imprisons him, wrapping around his body tight enough to restrain him against the sand.

"Look carefully, Kazekage," I say as the cruel man looks at me in shock. "This is the result of what you've done. Are you happy?"

"What you talking about..."

"A hypocrite like you who uses people for your own gain doesn't have the right to say I don't know what I'm talking about."

"You..."

He used Gaara's uncle the same way. Yashamaru was innocent. It was the Kazekage who had ordered to kill Gaara as he had deemed his own child to be a danger to the village.

A ferocious growl erupts from Gaara's throat then as if he is in pain. And maybe he is.

"I don't understand what I did wrong," he tells me painfully. "I don't understand why I deserve this. Everything. Was it a lie that you enjoyed? Were you laughing at how simple I was?

"I trusted you... When you said I was you friend, that you didn't hate me, that you will stand by me, I trusted you." A tear sneakily rolls down his cheek one after another until he is a mess. "But you're only another Yashamaru, Nobara. Another traitor."

This makes me falter a bit because I know he doesn't know what he is talking about. Because if he _knew_ , he wouldn't have likened me to Yashamaru at all.

So instead of answering, I step back to the cliff looking in the eyes. He is shaking so much. From anger? Sadness? Rage? I don't know.

Sometimes, the one you trust is the one who will betray you. And sometimes, it's only there to make you stronger. So I hope he searches the answer in his heart...

Was I your friend, Gaara?

Without another word, the Sharingan in my eyes fade as I disappear into the night just as Gaara whispers my name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk about a whirlwind romance, er, I mean friendship. Damn you young me!


	12. Broken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another cringe chapter.

**NOBARA'S POV**

"You've done well," Pain says when I return to the hideout with all the data I was tasked to acquire, but I don't really feel like I've accomplished anything. If anything, I feel troubled.

When I leave his office, I only get used to the cold again after I've grown quite attached to Suna's warmth, even though it was only for a few days. 

"Welcome back, Kigura," Itachi greets when he sees me, but I can only manage to nod. "Tired?"

Not really, but I don't feel like doing anything today.

"It's grown considerably quick..." he says, touching the tips of my hair which is well below my shoulders now unlike the first time I cut it, which is barely past my ear.

"Oh you're back," Kisame says, popping out nowhere. He sounds surprisingly pleased.

"Eh, really? Where? Where?!" Hidan emerges from behind the fish man. He beams when he sees me, but then he scrunches his nose and pretends to be annoyed. "Heh, you're earlier than I thought you'd be."

"So how was the mission?" Kisame asks.

"It was... okay..."

"You don't sound too confident in that. Don't tell me you fucking messed it up?" The Jashinist smirks, as if trying to push my buttons, but I'm not in the mood to play murder. Not today at least.

"It's just got me thinking."

"About what?" Itachi prompts.

"There's this someone."

"Someone?" Itachi frowns.

"Do people normally change colors?" I say seriously. "What does turning pink and red mean?"

It takes them a moment of silence before Hidan and Kisame suddenly bursts out laughing as if they realized something I don't know. I frown, but they don't see this because I'm wearing my mask again.

"Oh Kigura, you simple-minded thing," Kisame wheezes out as he wipes a fake tear from his eye.

"What?" I ask. I'm starting to get annoyed.

"People fucking change colors. That's the funniest shit I've ever heard!"

"What's so funny?" I demand.

"You are." Kisame grins.

"He really was good at changing colors and—"

Hidan and Kisame look at each other before bursting to another round of laughter.

"Oh good lord Jashin," the Jashinist says like he's about to die and from how annoyed I am I'm pretty tempted to help him out. "The boy has turned gay for you, Kigura!"

"What do you mean gay?"

Kisame bursts out laughing again, but by this time I have given up. Itachi pats me on the back, but I just walk away from them angrily because I'm not in the mood to shed some blood.

But as I walk farther away from them, my annoyance begins to fade and I feel hollow again. I think of Gaara and then I think of all the things I've done throughout the years.

My hands are clean, but I can still smell the stench of blood in them that no matter how much I wash it off, to cleanse myself of all the dirt I can only see, it never really fades away.

I'm filthy.

"Nobara," a voice says as I'm snapped out of my thoughts and there, recognizing his chakra signature, stands the masked man I have been trying not to think about.

I don't move. I don't show him anything.

I'm just tired.

He seems sad when he doesn't get a response from me that he approaches closer, almost hesitantly. And for the first time, just as my Sharingan glows red, he takes off his mask.

Half his face is marred with scars and he looks so pained.

"I know you don't want to forgive me and I understand that. I'm a very despicable man. But know that I won't get tired of telling you how sorry I am," he says sincerely before pulling the pendant from before. "Here. It should have belonged to you."

He ties it around my neck then.

"It was your mother's," he tells me as he smiles sadly. "I'm sure she would have wanted you to have it."

He stands up then, about to leave but I grab his cloak. He looks at me as his sad eyes fill with hope, and when I take of my mask only then does he realizes the expression on my face.

"I love you, papa," I tell him. "Even when I'm angry or sad, I still love you."

And he looks like he's about to cry as he kneels in front of me then. He hugs me with a tearful smile and I know he means it. "Papa loves you too, Nobara. He loves you very much."

I remain in his arms for a long time before there's that ominous crack again, but I only hear it. I shut my eyes as a lone tear falls to my cheek. I hold onto Tobi tighter because it makes me feel safe.

I want to tell him a lot of things... to tell him that I am breaking, that this body is breaking. But I don't. 

He can't know.

It is better that he knows nothing.


	13. Hidan the Babe

**NOBARA'S POV**

I am swimming in darkness. It's the same dream again. I don't know why, but... she has been appearing in my dreams as far as I can remember. And as always, I can only watch her, watch her in utter curiosity.

Her ghastly white skin, it glows in the shadows as her long black hair flows around her. Her dark eyes would always stare into mine as her white kimono billows around her in ethereal motion.

I only watch her as she floats closer to me.

She is a splitting image of me, only she is older. Or at least, in the age I'm supposed to be in.

She is saying something, but like all the other times I don't hear her. There is a faint cry behind me, pulling me back and further away.

"...up..." I hear a voice say distantly. "Wake up!"

I shoot up and then punch the closest thing to me then, followed by a low curse of pain.

"Oh Jashin-sama, the hell it fucking hurts!" Hidan screams at me, clutching his right eye. "The hell did you hit me for?!"

"Oh. It's only you," I say, noticing Itachi is carrying me on his back.

It has been more than a year now since I have become part of Akatsuki and I can tell that my time there has gradually changed me in a way.

"What the hell do you mean it's only me? You just hit me. In the eye!" Hidan pops out his eyeballs. One thing that hasn't changed though is that Hidan still as annoying as ever.

"Good morning," Itachi greets and I greet him back, not even bothering to entertain Hidan. To answer your question on why we're outside right now grouped together like this... is because Leader needed Itachi and I to keep watch on the idiot.

It just shows you how little Pain trusts the Jashinist.

Originally, it should have been Kakuzu with us, but Itachi insists on replacing the green-eyed man.

"Do you even have any idea how your target looks like?"

"Hah, of course I do," Hidan says as if that's something to be proud of then he shows us a picture. Not like that's going to be of any use to me. "He looks sleazy, doesn't he? Picks up women however he looks."

At this, Itachi and I somehow connect to some mutual idea.

"Why are you suddenly looking at me like that?" Hidan asks, backing away. But I've already nodded to Itachi before the Jashinist can even do anything about it.

* * *

"No, stop, ow!" Hidan screams bloody murder, but both Itachi and I remain indifferent as we work out way with him. "Ow, nonono! What are you doing?! You're hurting me!"

I ignore him as I furiously brush his stiff hair.

"You like pain, don't you?" Itachi asks, confused by Hidan's agony.

"This isn't—"

"Be quiet. For the sake of beauty, you must endure," I say seriously after I have just slapped the silence into him. "This is Leader's will."

"Who the hell wants beauty—"

"What was that, Hidan?" I ask after I had just stabbed his head with a hair comb.

"You're fucking doing this on purpo—"

"You must become beautiful."

"I don't want to be fucking b—OWOWOWOW THAT'S TOO FUCKING TIGHT!" He squeaks a breath just as Itachi wounds the corset around Hidan's waist. "YOU'RE TRYING TO KILL ME, AREN'T YOU?!"

"What ever do you mean?" I ask innocently as Hidan breathes heavily in front of me. Itachi stands beside me as Hidan slowly backs away from us with fear in his eyes. But there is no escape. So thirty minutes later, Itachi has finally forced the kimono on him and right now everything's just going according to plan.

Somehow, Itachi and my efforts have not gone in vain.

"Remind me why I should look like this?" Hidan grumbles, this time not trying to argue with Itachi and me because he knows just how that will end up. 

I can just imagine how his strands of silver hair falling on his effeminate face, which Itachi has tried very hard to make. 

"You have been tasked to seduce the target," Itachi says.

"W-When did the mission turn into that?!" Hidan asks, outraged.

"You didn't know?" Itachi asks concerned and the Jashinist is nearly falling for it.

"That..."

"Do you see that cat house over there?"

"What cat house? I see no cats." Hidan frowns as he looks over the building we are on. 

"That."

Hidan looks harder, but then his eyes pop out. "That's a fucking whore house—ow! The fuck did you just hit me with that stick for?"

"Because you're not listening properly." I cross my arms over my chest. "Those creatures of the night. You must become one of them."

"What do you mean me?" Hidan demands and that's when it dawns on him just exactly what is going on. The fact that he is wearing a sultry kimono, how his usually stiff hair is turned into silken strands and his muscles is hidden just enough with only his shoulder exposed.

Itachi hums, wondering if he should add boobs on Hidan or not.

"You mean you fucking want me to pretend to be a prostitute?" Hidan asks in outrage as Itachi and I simply nod. "You can't be serious... Why can't it be Itachi? I mean, look at him!"

"Have you forgotten that this is your mission and we are only here to watch over your progress?" Itachi says with an edge to his voice.

"Look on the bright side, you don't look ugly anymore." I wriggle my fingers to sound convincing.

"I don't—" he's about to say, but he doesn't get the chance to finish because I've already set the jutsu up. Mid sentence, Hidan falls into a whirl of time space and Itachi looks at me.

I only shrug.

While I normally wouldn't have needed it as I can sense Hidan just fine, I make a spy mirror made of ice that shows where Hidan just landed for Itachi.

"Ooow," Hidan groans from the floor. He's been transported inside the brothel. "What the hell?"

"Watch your mouth," I warn Hidan and he heard me perfectly as if I am right there with him. The mirror acts like a walkie talkie too.

"Huh?" He looks around, confused. "Who the hell is that? Wait... are you Jashin-sama?"

"Hidan, don't be s—"

"Jashin knows my name!" the Jashinist gasps, but Itachi just face palms himself at the idiot's stupidity.

"Hidan, it's me, Itachi—"

"Wait a minute. That's not right—oohhh," he says, finally understanding the situation.

" _Finally_."

"Hey! How the fuck would I know?" Hidan huffs before his eyes catch something and he makes a low whistle. "Who the fuck is that sexy babe?"

"Hidan—"

"Well hello there," he says flirtily when he gets a closer look. "Who—"

"Hidan, that's you!" I say exasperatedly.

"Wha..." Then his eyes jut out. "What have you done to me?!"

"Oh dear."

"Hidan, if you don't get to on with the mission right now I'll tell Leader not to make you an official member," I say threateningly.

"Alright! Alright! Jeez," he grumbles before looking around the area. Then he finally finds the lounge where the other prostitutes and guests are.

Surprisingly, Hidan carries himself with grace that when he enters the room, they immediately look at him.

"Do I have a fucking booger on my nose or something?" Hidan says quietly. "These bitches eye-killing me. Oh, I found the target!"

And then like a real prostitute, Hidan walks in sultry motion and catches the man's attention almost immediately. 

"Now sit on his lap," Itachi says.

"What?" Hidan hisses, outraged.

"You need to get his attention immediately. It's the only way," Itachi continues.

"Fine," Hidan actually relents. "But you better have something good for me after this..."

Then as if he practiced, Hidan looks like he's floating in his kimono. Or at least, from what I can pick up from the wind's waves. He smiles like a professional high-glass call girl and the people in the room actually believes the act he's putting.

It's a good thing none of the prostitutes even noticed that Hidan doesn't work in their building.

The target pushes away the woman on his lap then when Hidan gets close enough. His eyes are glued on the Jashinist before he smirks when Hidan actually sits on his lap just like he wanted.

He plays it a little all too well that he actually turns the place around.

* * *

**THIRD PERSON'S POV**

"Hi-dan! Hi-dan! Hi-dan!" the entire crowd of prostitutes and men chant in a drunken stupor. The people strangely enjoy the Jashinist's hysterical behavior as he stands atop the table where the target is.

His kimono is showing off his bare shoulder now, but fortunately still covered his breastless chest. His hair is a mess, but all in all, he still seems decent unlike the others who are already half-naked in front of each other.

"WWWOOOOO!!!" Hidan slurs, high-pitched like a woman as he swings the bottle of sake in his hand.

"This is bad," Itachi says, stating the obvious.

"This was not what I had expected to be the outcome," the masked child murmurs to herself.

The Jashinist swings the bottle of sake in his hand again as the women and men around him run wild, lost in their own crazy dancing while the whole brothel gradually turns into a crazy pub.

In one swift movement, Hidan jumps off the table only to be caught my rough, big arms.

"So your name's Hidan... right?” his target asks, pretending to be sober. He thought he sounded seductive. Hidan finds this quite obvious and pathetic, but even though all Hidan wants to do right now is sacrifice him to his Lord Jashin, he can't think of anything else but to have fun.

He knows he can easily kill the guy if he isn't so drunk. Punch the target hard, that's all that can bring him down. But that is it, Hidan is fucking drunk!

Lucky bastard.

"Yeah," Hidan slurs, swinging the bottle around again as he squirms, trying to free himself from the bastard's arms, but he can't. The crowd is already lost in their own business, dancing in shit.

The target then smirks, making Hidan slightly frown.

"What?"

The target moves closer as Hidan cringes in disgust, though the target isn't sober enough to notice this. "I remember a man named Hidan..."

Those words catch the Jashinist's attention immediately as his Akatsuki instincts kick in, making him slightly sober.

"Yeah? Really?" Hidan smiles sweetly.

"Yeah... You wanna... know more?" he slurs making Hidan cringe for the second time as he mentally hits himself and forces a stiff giggle out. The target's hand then travels to the Jashinist's waist and this takes a great deal of effort on Hidan's part not to cut the man's hand clean off.

But then he remembers he left his scythe with Itachi and Kigura. Having no other choice, Hidan forces a smile and the target chuckles. "Enlighten me, mister."

"He was part of the Akatsuki," the target bursts almost proudly, like he's bragging. "And he was a complete pussy!"

The target instantly burst out laughing like it's the biggest joke he's ever told, but by this time Hidan's eyes are already darkening as he begins to tremble in anger.

"Scared, baby?" the target purrs, thinking Hidan is frightened. "Don't worry, he's dead. I killed him! He was so weak he didn't even stand a chance against me."

Hidan just knows it this moment, he is sober now. Oh, he is definitely fucking sober.


	14. Issa Trap

**THIRD PERSON'S POV**

Suddenly, there is an explosion in the brothel as a thick layer of smoke erupted below. People come screaming out then as prostitutes and men alike run away from the building while Kigura and Itachi just know exactly who is responsible for the mess.

"You fucking bastard! Think you're tough, huh? Think you can fucking take me on?!"

Kigura sighs just as she recognizes the owner of the voice. So much for killing the target without involving other people. 

As the smoke begins to clear, the huge hole on the wall is exposed. There, Hidan standing almost half naked. The lower part of his kimono are ripped off as the top lay hanging that left him topless.

While Hidan is all outrage, the target who has been blown out of the building starts laughing. He is kneeling on the ground, trying to hold onto his own weight, so why the hell is he laughing?

"What's so fucking funny?" Hidan demands.

"I anticipated this..." the target says.

"What..."

"That's enough, Hidan." Itachi appears beside the Jashinist as he looks over the target named Juro.

"You're underestimating me, no? I think I played my part too well. Did you actually think I'd be stupid enough lay myself in the open when I know the Akatsuki is after me? This is a trap."

And immediately, four chūnins and three prominent jōnins emerge behind him.

"Now, are you going to be the pussy like in the sissy story I told you about?" Juro taunts Hidan who looks like he's about to give in.

The Jashinist pops his knuckles. "Why don't we just talk with our fists?"

But Juro doesn't answer. Instead, he weaves through hand seals instead before slamming his hand on the ground.

 _Earth Release_.

In an instant, the ground begins to ripple apart as the cracks travel in high speed towards Hidan's direction. The Jashinist and Itachi quickly leap out of the line of danger.

The last thing Kigura witnesses is Itachi using the Great Fireball before her attention diverts to the presence behind her.

She has been too lost in spectating the starting battle that she didn't sense out the masked man behind her sooner. Only one of his eyes is revealed as the other is covered by a Leaf hitai-ate.

"Another member of Akatsuki?" he asks himself as Kigura summons a kunai to her hand before releasing it into the air. The masked man catches this however. "Are you observing your superiors, child?"

Somehow, this annoys her just as the masked man lowers his book. 

"I'm Kakashi. What's your name?"

Kigura takes a step back, but then she notices the pendant he's hanging in front of him. When did she drop it?

"Oh, what's this?"

"Don't touch it," Kigura sneers, her voice threateningly low. This catches the enemy's attention before the man seems to smirk behind his mask.

"I'll return it if you answer a few inquiries about your... friends."

"And if I don't?"

"Then you don't get to have this back."

Kigura smirks at the confidence in his voice, but by this time she is already decided that she will make him regret ever touching what is hers.

Meanwhile, Juro evades the huge three blades from Hidan's scythe, which Itachi has handed the Jashinist a while ago along with his cloak with at least cover himself up. On the other hand, the other Leaf reinforcements hesitate to engage in a fight with the infamous Uchiha Itachi.

"Don't look at him directly in the eyes!" Juro warned them before.

Itachi is just about to start it, but then someone is falling from the sky. The two figures hit the ground as a large crater forms at impact.

As the sheer smoke dissipates, Itachi recognizes the small figure standing over the body laid on the ground. And he can only sigh, because standing there is a very enraged Kigura.

* * *

She is too fast even for his Sharingan to keep up, or maybe he doesn't have better control over it. Even then, before he knows it, his feet is already ripped from the ground as a massive force hits him on the side of his face, forcing him head first to the ground.

"W-What? Who is this kid?!" Kurenai stammers as not a few seconds after Kigura started moving, not even one of their men can flinch to interfere, as if paralyzed by the mere sight of her. Even she could not move, as locked in place.

Kakashi drags himself upright, but the heaviness of how he breathes makes aware of his own exhaustion.

Already?

When the fun is yet to begin.

She appears before him in a blink of an eye, and she stares at him in almost fascination. His Sharingan eye, how he possesses it. Kakashi can't even react to her, as if controlled.

"You are not an Uchiha," she tells him, and he notices then, the darkness in her before she kicks him by his ear as he's blown with its force. The pain rings, disrupting his hearing.

"Kakashi!"

She lodges a kunai to the intrusion's throat who yelled without hesitation, her attention towards Kakashi not once wavering as the dead man collapses to the ground.

"Now tell me, where did you get your eye? Or I might just cut it out of you if you don't tell me."

Kakashi stiffens, even though he has enough strength to knock her off him, he can't seem to move. There is something about her that is dreadfully dangerous. And he can tell she's not bluffing. She doesn't seem like the kind to.

A barrage of kunais catches her attention, however, just as her barrier of ice shoots up in defense, which all shocks them. But despite her ability, the green spandex man glares at the masked child who barely even glances at him.

"You are quite a persistent one..." Kigura comments just as she brings Guy to his knees.

"What's happening here? How does he do it?!" Juro demands, his body shaking in the need for control. Even though he;s far enough from them, he's somehow still affected as his body's slowing down.

He is distracted when his face is suddenly rammed by Hidan's fist.

"Oy, your opponent's me. Don't wander off, I might get jealous!"

The target spits blood to the side as he glares at the Jashinist. But Hidan only laughs at the man who at first acted as if he was in control of the situation. But look where they are now.

"Wanna know something interesting?" Hidan smiles, crouching down in front of Juro as he grabs a fistful of the target's hair to force him to look at Kigura. "The thing is... that kid's in the Black Book. He's quite wanted, you know, and he's pretty good at genjutsu."

Juro doesn't understand it at first, but then it dawns on him. "Impossible—"

Hidan throws Juro's head off before he kicks him in the stomach. Juro then doubles in pain as Hidan only grins wickedly.

"Our Kigura's sucking the life of that bitch's Sharingan, disabling his Sharingan itself, that's what he is doing. Soon, your little friend won't have enough chakra to do anything."

"Kakashi—" Juro tries to warn the Copycat-nin, but Hidan silences him with another kick to the stomach.

In the end, Hidan whooped their asses soon after that. He kicked their asses so much they went home crying to their mommies and telling them how dangerous this handsome new Jashinist is and-and—...

"Is that really what happened?" Pain asks impassively after Hidan finished his story. All three of them sit across the Leader in his office. Itachi remains silent as Kigura sits sloppily, bored as hell.

"Are you saying I'm a liar, huh? Is that it?"

"Well, you look like one," Kigura mumbles in a sardonic tone, which makes Hidan send her a glare.

Pain sighs. "Why don't you start from the beginning again?"

"I already told you, I was so handsome, I ambushed—hmmp! Hmmp!" He harshly rubs his frozen lips sealed tight together before his eyes turn to glare at Kigura again.

"The target managed to escape, but I put a genjutsu on him to make him forget. And if he manages to remember," she purses her lips, "let's just say he'll be six feet under the ground."

"Kigura, didn't I say you're only to assist Hidan?" Pain rubs his forehead.

"He was obviously going to fail the mission, Leader."

Pain sighs, giving Kigura one last grunt before finally dismissing them, in which Hidan grumblingly receives. Though before she can even go out, Pain stops her.

What did she do now?

She imitates his grunt just as Hidan leaves with an annoying smirk.

"Because you failed to do as you are told," he says pointedly, "I'm tasking you to finish it."

"You want me to go after Juro in Konoha?"

"Yes, but you're not going alone," Pain answers. "You are to pose as a visitor from Rain. With this, I am also giving you a few months of becoming a normal shinobi."

"I'm not even—"

"Now you are." He smirks after he tossed her a Rain hitai-ate, in which she catches without fault. "Learn well from them, Kigura. You will be accompanied by Tobi and Itachi."


	15. Mother

**NOBARA'S POV**

_Drops of salty liquid fell down my cheeks and to the bloody snow as I stared at the faces of terrified people, screaming pleas that seemed to go on deaf ears. I tried to refrain myself, but I only raised my hand as cold ice crawled down my arm and then to my fingertips as it spread like a disease._

_And all I could do was stare as I did this, as the ice ate the people's lives away._

_As a young child, this would have been a terrifying display, but I was the cause of such destruction. I killed them one after another as they screamed for mercy, but it didn't matter to me._

_"Do you feel that...?" something whispered from my shoulder. "It feels good, doesn't it? I get rid of the people who scorned you."_

_But even though I heard the venom in its voice, very vaguely I also heard the sadness._

_"Don't look away. Look at them," it growled in a whisper. "Look at these people... these people who made you the monster they had thought you were look at them."_

* * *

My cheeks are wet with tears when I wake up clutching the bedsheet tightly. In the night, I crawl out of bed and drag myself to the hallway. I don't know why, but somehow I need to get out of this room.

So I wander to Tobi's room barefooted. 

"Nobara?" I hear the surprise in his voice, most especially the state that I am in now. I crawl into his bed and snuggled beside him without saying a word.

He seems to realize I didn't want to talk so he only tucks the blanket over me as he wipes the tears on my cheeks.

The tension between us before seems as if it never existed in the first place. There is only warmth, but I know even something like this is only temporary.

 _"You know nothing will last,"_ the voice whispers again as I shut my eyes close, hoping it will gradually disappear if I do so. _"Soon, you will have to face it..."_

I cling to Tobi then as he lets me snuggle closer. I'm starting to believe the words inside my head, because if this is real... then I at least should know why my father abandoned me in the first place.

And yet even then, I still let myself be fooled.

* * *

"Awake?" Tobi asks from beside me with a deep scratchy voice as if he has just woken up. Surprisingly, he doesn't feel the need to use his Tobi voice on me, which I'm much grateful for.

"Hn..." I murmur, turning my back to him, as if to go back to sleep, but I don't. I only wiggle his fingers as I lay on his arm. "Hey, Tobi...?"

"What is it?"

I feel him look at him, expectantly.

"What's Mother's name?" I ask out of curiosity and I feel him stop.

"Kо̄yо̄," he says softly. "Her name was Kо̄yо̄."

"What... was she like?"

For a moment, he pauses as I play with the pendant on my neck. And then I turn to Tobi with these eyes, but again there is only darkness.

"She was just like you..." he finally says as he looks into my eyes. "Not only in terms of appearance, but she's as blunt as you are."

I frown, not knowing if it's supposed to be a good thing or not, but he only chuckles at me.

"But I loved that about her."

"You do?"

"I do," he says. "I do very much."

"Do you..." I falter to continue, but he probably already knows what I'm going to say anyway.

"I love you too, my daughter," he says, patting my head. "I've loved you even before you were even born."

And at that, I feel my weight on my shoulders lighten even if it's just a bit. 

"Would you love me just the same even if I'm blind?"

"What?" he says, not expecting to hear something like that from me. But then it dawns on him, the meaning behind my words.

I don't feel sad about it anymore, but somehow he looks just as torn as I was when I first lost my sight. And then he takes me in his arms and hugs me so tight.

"I'm sorry for not being there. I'm sorry..."

"Don't say sorry. Not anymore, at least," I tell him, pulling away with a reassuring smile. "It wasn't your fault. I did this myself."

"What do you mean?" He seems confused for a moment before I feel my eyes ink red as my vision fills in.

"You have the Mangekyō?" He looks just as shocked as I had envisioned him to be. "Since when...?"

"Since I killed her," I answer him, looking away and perhaps he understands already that I don't want to go into details of who that person is. "And I lost my eyesight because of the continuous use I did when I was in rampage."

"But how..."

"How can I use the Mangekyō even when I'm blind?" I smile just as my eyes return to black. "I'm also confused that I can. I was blind for months after the massacre, but then my kekkei genkai returned. It's only when I use it that I can see again, but it drains my chakra faster than it normally does. Does that make me hateful? To kill people without remorse?"

"No..." he tells me sincerely. "To me you're still Nobara."

I know he has a lot more questions, but then there is a knock on the door and Tobi puts his mask on again.

Konan walks in about to say something, but then her face falls.

"What... What in the world, Tobi?!" the blue-haired woman gasps. "What are you doing to a young girl!"

I only realize it then that I'm not wearing a mask, but oh well. It's not like my face is taboo anyway.

"You're jumping to conclusions, Konan." Tobi sighs, sounding exasperated. 

"Then how do you explain this?" Konan says, pointing at me.

"Don't point a finger at me. I don't like it," I snap in a way that Konan suddenly looks at me in recognition. 

"Kigura...?"

"Who else am I supposed to be? Of course it's me," I grumble, getting off the bed. I'm about to leave the room until she grabs the back of my shirt. Sometimes, I really resent that I can't grow properly.

"I knew Kigura is a girl..." she mumbles to herself, looking triumphant. "Wait. Where are you going?!"

"Away from everyone else."

"You can't just go yet!"

"And why the hell not?" I ask, irritated.

"Because I have a surprise for you, you adorable little thing!" She beams at me. But she doesn't even give me the chance to reply when she suddenly snatches my hand.

And just like that, she drags me out of the room, leaving a very dumbfounded Tobi behind.

* * *

I have overestimated Konan. When I thought she was going to be mature about everything, she decides to use me as a human doll for dress up. But if I do say so myself, even if she made me wear it, the new clothes robes feel nice and easy to move around in.

"What is it?" I ask, taking the initiative when I feel Konan staring me for a long time.

"The information says you are ten, but why do you look younger than that?" she decides to ask.

"Because I don't change anymore. Not with a body like this anyway."

"What... What do you mean?" she asks, surprised and confused. If I were here, I'll feel the exact same thing. Doesn't everybody age?

"This body—" I gesture at myself. "It's not normal. It's a husk of my original body, an imitation."

"But... why?"

"Because my body alone can't keep me alive," I answer her, turning away.

"I don't understand..."

"Well, you're not supposed to." I hop off the chair she sat me earlier, wearing a mask and a plain cloak.

"I'm also curious what you were doing in Tobi's room in the first place," she says, but I don't answer her anymore. Instead, I put her to sleep to get away.

"New mask?" Itachi asks when he sees me and I nod.

"Sasori gave it to me."

"What for? The other one looked just fine."

"For the mission. That mask has grown quite the reputation, so I needed something low profile," I tell him.

"N... Kigura?" Tobi calls. "Where's Konan-senpai?"

"Somewhere dead." I shrug and Itachi chokes a little bit. "Relax, I just put her to sleep, is all."

Or more like hit her on the back of her neck and knocked her out, but they don't need the details on that...

"What's with the new attire?" Kakuzu walks in with scrunched eyebrows.

"Mission."

"When are you coming back?"

"Probably in a few months." I shrug as I hear Hidan choke from behind Kakuzu.

"What?!" Hidan asks after coughing the water out of his nostrils. He's surprised by my answer, even Kakuzu.

"It's not like I'm not coming back, Hidan. And besides, you still owe me money," I remind of the time he loaned a few bills.

"Shit," he curses under his breath just as I walk away.


	16. An Encounter with a Snake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original outfit design from the 2012 version underneath her cloak. Damn those extra-looking eyelashes! Lmao.

**  
**

**THIRD PERSON'S POV**

Goodbyes are said, but even though they never liked Tobi to begin with, he cries when he parts with the other members. On the other hand, Kigura remains indifferent along with Itachi. They really have a lot in common.

As they continue on their journey, nightfall soon comes and they have to camp out for a while. Not like they need rest or anything, but they do anyway.

Tobi gathers the wood and Itachi makes a small fire. They're talking about something, but Kigura doesn't care to listen what it is about. She just leans against one of the trees and hopes the night to be over so they can travel again.

"Ki-chan, aren't you tired?" Tobi snaps her back from zoning out. "Do you want to use my lap to sleep?"

"I'll pass," she answers and as Itachi goes unnoticed of how he smirks to himself.

"But I can assure you I'm comfy!"

"I think I'll go for a walk," Kigura says instead, distracted at the presence she sounds out coming from the forest. She stands up, but even then two of her companions doesn't notice anything strange.

She only goes into the forest to follow whatever she sensed out. But she only wanders to an open lake as she vaguely remembers what Hanyūdō once told her.

_"You are the only one who can decide your own fate. Don't let luck push you around."_

She feels nostalgic for a moment before she senses a different presence this time, hiding behind the shadows in the trees.

"I don't like playing games. Come out," she warns just as the figure chuckles.

"How perceptive," the pale man comments as he walks out of the darkness, his voice resembling that of a snake, much like his eyes are.

"Orochimaru," she acknowledges. She has encountered him before, but she has no interest in him. "I can't give you what you want, so leave me be."

"But I want to persuade you, my dear," he says. "So I've been learning you..."

"Can you not get any more creepier than that?"

"I've prepared something nice for you." He chuckles just as Kigura starts to feel vibrations from the ground. And before she can even react, a giant snake swallows her whole.

Shit.

* * *

Orochimaru licks his lips in excitement, smirking as the small Akatsuki is suddenly eaten by the snake he summoned. But the fact that the reptile exploded is more than enough of what he expected from someone like her.

"You dirty bastard!" she fumes, her ice barrier retreating after it just protected her.

"I'll be a lot gentler if you come with me." He smiles but she only sneers at him. Her hands weave through hand seals then as a a large formation of ice in the form of her fist materializes into thin air, shocking Orochimaru at the speed of when she summoned it.

He barely dodges it, but he doesn't get to dodge the one she delivers herself to his face. The fact that her fist is covered in ice just makes her punch ten-fold that it actually sends him flying backwards.

Kigura stops him from getting further though when she grabs the purple rope around his waist and pulls him back. The moment he comes face to face with her mask and then at the activation of something red through its slit holes startles him.

He doubles over as Kigura punches him in the gut as he's thrown to the ground this time. He clutches his stomach, but even through the pain his laughter confuses her.

"What are you laughing at?"

Despite the blood leaking from the corner of his lips, he smirks at her. "My dear, we are only getting to the good part...!"

Suddenly, a group of snakes emerges from the ground as she leaps away from him then. But just as she prepares for another series of hand seals, Orochimaru has disappeared as he is suddenly behind her.

"I've done my research well on you. Now will you reward me, Nobara-hime?"

In defense, ice shoots up to protect her from him, blocking the Sannin from coming closer than he already is as she leaps away from him again.

This time, she knows he is playing with her.

"What do you want?" she demands as she tries to read his movements, but then something else distracts her. Amidst the darkness of her eyes, the girl from her dreams distracts her enough not to evade Orochimaru's next move.

And in an instant, she falls to her knees after he pressed on the mark on her back shoulder.

How did he...?

"I told you I've learning you," Orochimaru says as he crouches in front of her but she only sneers at him. "What I want is you, Nobara-hime."

"What did you do?!" she demands, noticing her barrier isn't acting up like it usually does.

"The mark of the heir really is more fragile than I thought..." he says almost to himself. "You are in pain right now, but later you will thank me for what I've done—"

Orochimaru staggers as he finally realizes something strange.

He's already been caught in its mercy long before he looks into her eyes, so maybe it doesn't matter anymore if he savors every moment of it.

"You have underestimated me too much," she whispers threateningly as she sits upright as she clutches her shoulder. But even in the state of pain, something about her makes him suddenly inferior in her presence.

Perhaps it's the eyes he looks into now through the holes of her mask, how they bleed red, spinning into a Sharingan.

"Duplicated Pain Technique," she says through gritted teeth, and instantly through her eyes she sent Orochimaru the same pain she is under.

The Sannin nearly shouts in pain when this happens, but he bites his mouth shut as he's brought to his knees. 

"Is it painful?" She smiles mockingly at him just as her eyes begin to change again, spinning for the second time this time to another.

Mangekyō.

Orochimaru's breath audibly trembles in astonishment. This is it. This is what he wants from her. Truly, she never ceases to amaze him even more.

He can die if he lets her finish the formation of her kekkei genkai. He wanted to know just how powerful her Mangekyō is, but he doesn't want to risk his life at the moment to test just what is capable of yet.

So when his subordinate arrives, he actually feels relieved.

"Kabuto," Orochimaru says almost weakly. "Get me out of here, now."

"Understood, Lord Orochimaru." The gray-haired boy nods as he pulls the Sannin's arm over his shoulder. He merely looks at the ground, afraid to be caught in the child's ability.

"I'll come back for you, Nobara-hime..." He only smiles then before he and Kabuto disappears into the trees.

Kigura finally collapses to the ground then, barely able to withstand the pain anymore. She feels cold sweat dribble down her forehead. Had she not done what she did, Orochimaru could have seen her in her weakest when she isn't pretending to be in control.

Already in a far great distance, Kabuto glances at the injured Sannin. "If I may ask... what is that technique you used, Lord Orochimaru?"

And despite the pain, the pale man smirks nonetheless.

"It's an unleashing technique," he answers. "There's a mark on her neck... exactly like her mother's... It's because of it that I can't give her a cursed seal. But when the technique is complete... she will be mine."

* * *

Moments after Orochimaru left, Tobi finds Kigura barely conscious anymore and cradles her in his arms. Behind him, Itachi follows not far behind. Only then does the younger Uchiha notices the female clothes Kigura is wearing underneath her clothes.

He was a she...?

But more than that, why is this masked man expressing his concern to someone other than himself?

"Why are you acting like you care about Kigura?" Itachi asks, doubting Tobi's display. "Give her to me and I'll carry her. You don't have to pretend to be a good man. You of all people should know you're not."

"I'm not pretending to be a good man," Tobi growls as he glares at the boy's words. "I have every right to worry about Kigura."

But then his eyes soften, something Itachi gets to see.

"If you're not pretending," Itachi trialed off, "then why?"


	17. Chūnin Selection Exams

**NOBARA'S POV**

There it is again, the dream. She is no different from the last time I saw her. She is as ghastly as I remember, but this time something about her isn't far away anymore. She is intangible enough that she couldn't have been a figment of my imagination anymore just as I originally thought.

"Where..." My voice sounds hoarse as I look around the field of red flowers. There is no sun, no moon, no even a sky or cloud. Everything is just plain white except for the bright red field.

Just the fact that I am able to see things tell me I'm not where I'm supposed to be.

"You are in your world, little Uchiha," the girl says, surprising me because I did not expect an answer from her. Not just my face, but my voice too. How many more things does she plan to replicate? "Does it not please you?"

"You're talking to me..."

My lips parted. Something about the fact that she is talking feels unreal.

She smiles at me then as she pulls back. Her white kimono moves seamlessly against the flowers. "Do you know why you are here?"

This causes a headache and I hiss. I then remember Orochimaru and his despicable face.

"Do you know what that person did to you?" 

I look up at her, but she isn't looking at me.

"He is unleashing me," she says, turning around to smile, but I can feel the chill run down my spine.

"What are you talking about...?"

"But don't you worry, little Uchiha. You will feel weak and your barrier would be useless for a time, but wouldn't it be worth it in the end if you can have unlimited access to my power like that night?"

I take a step away from her, but in this place I know I have nowhere to run. I may have given in to her whispers, but it doesn't mean that I have wanted the bloodshed in the first place.

She was the one that put the idea in my head.

"You are an important chess piece, Nobara," she tells me as she stands taller now. "There is a blood that runs inside you unique only to your own veins because of your mother..."

"What do you mean unique?" I demand her. "My mother only had Kira blood—"

"Oh how ignorant you are..." She merely smiles. "But it doesn't matter. Sooner or later, you will know what that means."

"Wait!" I run up to her as she slowly drifts away, but then the flowers begin to wilt one after another as they turn into ash that inks the whole place black.

And then, just like that, darkness engulfed me into an embrace once again...

* * *

**THIRD PERSON'S POV**

While Tobi carries Kigura on his back, Itachi looks at her, thinking of how pretty she was all this time behind her mask. And he almost admires it, how her long eyelashes curl against her cheeks or how delicate her features are.

And then he wonders why the other members thought of her as a boy to begin with.

As Kigura begins to stir awake, Itachi immediately perks up. And when those black eyes of hers open, his own obsidian eyes soften. "Are you alright?"

"Ita... Itachi...?" She pulls back, but Itachi catches her from falling from Tobi's back.

"Ki-chan, you're awake!" the idiot exclaims happily as Kigura is still in her drowsy state.

Somehow, something is wrong. Their chakra signature is also strange. Why does Itachi feel... smaller?

She can tell they aren't even wearing their cloaks either. And she is right, because right now they're barely anything but their original forms, save for the slight resemblance.

In the form of 13-year-olds, Itachi's tear troughs with jagged shoulder length hair while Tobi is maskless with no hint of his scars anywhere.

"What the hell are you doing?" she demands, pulling away from Tobi's backride, much to his protest.

"I don't think Ki-chan likes our disguise very much..." Tobi mumbles.

"You think?"

"But we were gonna play like real genins in the Chūnin Exams and go like raaah raaah!" He displays some karate chop moves. "Like a real time, you and I... and Itachi... but you don't have to worry about him!"

"What is he talking about?" Kigura rubs her head like she's going to have a headache, but then Itachi shifts. "Don't tell me you know about it too..."

"About that..."

"Oh great."

"But it'll be fun!" Tobi insists. "And besides, we're already near Konoha gates!"

He's right. In the distance, the large red gates are no more than a few more strides away.

"At this point, do I really have a choice anymore?" Kigura sighs, finally giving in, and she can feel her two companions smile at her answer. "Usuratonkachi..."

* * *

The three of them easily pass through the two guards in the front gates with passes, which Leader must have provided. Since the beginning, this must have been Pain's plans all along. But it doesn't matter now.

Still feeling salty about the turn of events, Kigura ditches Tobi and Itachi along the way without even warning.

Originally, they are to inform of the Hokage about their missing sensei, but Kigura isn't in the mood to make an effort so she just left the job to the two. Just thinking of the Hokage talk bores her already.

Walking along the streets of Konoha, Kigura rubs her shoulder as she remembers her encounter with Orochimaru again and this makes her feel irritated all of a sudden. She's even more irritated because of how happy the bustling people of Konoha seems to be.

Nearby, she senses a group of kids who she feels immense chakra from. Her Sharingan momentarily activates to take in their appearances, most especially the blond one carrying the chakra of the nine-tailed beast.

"Not bad, bro..." one of the smaller kids say while eyeing the pink-haired girl. He only looks a year younger than the age she appears to be.

On the other hand, the jinchūriki seems confused until the smaller boy raised a pinky.

"She's your... girlfriend...?"

"Wow, hehehe." The blond blushes, scratching his cheek. "You brats are really perceptive—"

"YOU INSUFFERABLE IDIOT!!" the pink-haired girl roars as she smashes a fist on the boy's head then.

By this time, Kigura has lost interest as her mind starts to drift off again. She wanders out the streets again until she senses another chakra. This time, not of the jinchūriki, but a certain familiar presence yet at the same time not really.

The boy is walking broodily with his hands to his pockets, a certain darkness about him. Only when he stops in his tracks as his onyx black eyes that resembled hers so much land on her direction does she realize standing in front of her is another Uchiha.


	18. Intruders

**THIRD PERSON'S POV**

"Very well," says the Hokage, after they lied the situation and their missing sensei. The old man is not even suspecting them even a little bit, even though he is standing in front of the boy who murdered the Uchiha Clan. "Team Tobi, if I am correct?"

Even Tobi, who appears almost the replica of his younger self, is unsuspected. Since when has Konoha been so lax?

"Thank you so much, Hokage-sama!" Tobi exclaims happily.

"A very lively young one." He smiles, which Tobi replicates but brighter. On the other hand, Itachi remains impassive as he glances at his companion's oddly strange act today. He's as annoying as he usually is, but there is an undertone of malevolence.

The way he momentarily smiles coldly... nobody even noticed.

* * *

Aside from the fact that his chakra reminds her of Itachi a bit, Kigura loses interest immediately, even though the boy looks at her now, maybe because of how peculiar she looks. But she carries on her way anyway until someone crashes into her and they fall down.

"That hurt..." she hears someone say, even though Kigura knows better it didn't even hurt him in the first place. Though at the same time, she feels herself being lifted off the ground by her clothes as the kid is grabbed by the arm.

It doesn't take her long to recognize each and everyone's chakra signatures.

"That hurt, you little piece of shit," that same coward boy from Suna snarls at her and Kigura frowns at him, thinking that it should be her calling him a piece of shit. But for a moment, she lets him enjoy the moment of dominance.

"Don't," Temari says from beside him. "We'll get yelled at later if you do something, Kankurō..."

"You sorry too much, Temari." He smirks.

"Konohamaru!" the jinchūriki yells as two other small kids yell with him.

"I-I'm so sorry...! Please let go them go," the pink-haired girl almost pleads, looking guilty. Maybe it's because she's the reason why the boy called Konohamaru was even blindly running in the first place. "It's not their fault. W-We were just messing around..."

"Don't worry, guys. We'll help you!" the jinchūriki reassures. But Kigura doesn't feel reassured nor does she need to be, she lets herself enjoy the scene. "Hey, fatass! Let go of them!"

"Heh, who are you to tell me what to do?"

"Bastard!" The blond charges then without thinking, but with only little movements from Kankurō's fingers, the jinchuriki is flipped over, wondering what the hell just happened. The kids immediately rush to help him, and instead of flailing around like the other brat, Kigura remains hanging like a rain doll that the pink-haired girl looks worriedly at her.

What does she expect Kigura to do? Panic?

Tch.

"So Leaf genins are weak, I see..." 

"I wasn't done yet! If you don't let them go now, I'll definitely make you pay, dattebayo!"

"You know, I really hate midgets like you..." Kankurō trails off, not even taking the blond seriously. Instead, he raises Kigura higher. "Especially ones who don't look where they are going... rude brats like you actually makes me want to kill them."

"Don't think I'm getting myself involved with this." Temari turns away and Kankuro merely smirks before he throws Konohamaru to the ground and raises a fist to Kigura.

But before he can even hit her, or her catch it, a rock hits his hand as Kankuro drops her from the pain that followed.

"What are you bastards doing in our village?"

Sensing him out, it's that same boy she encountered earlier. The one with the same chakra signature as Itachi. He is sitting on a tree branch playing with another rock in his hand.

At the sight of him, the girls swoon, even Temari looks interested.

"What... Another brat that pisses me off," Kankuro growls, comforting his throbbing hand.

"Get lost," the Uchiha growls back as the girls squeal. It's almost like they haven't been scared in the beginning with how they're swooning like a bunch of fan girls and Kigura cringes a bit.

"You punk. Why don't you get down and let's settle it here!" Kankuro demands, but the fact that the Uchiha is unfazed prompts him to pull out the puppet on his back.

"You're gonna use Karasu?" Temari looks alarmed, but there isn't any need to be when his brother is here.

"Kankurō," an all too familiar voice says warningly, coming from the other side of the tree where the Uchiha is. "That's enough... You're an embarrassment to the village."

"G-Gaara..."

* * *

_"You smell like morning air and fresh cactus flower," Nobara said, leaning onto his face to smell him better. At the close proximity, the boy blushed._

_It was always something she lacked knowledge of and it always troubled Gaara._

_"Like fresh cactus flower?"_

_"Mhm." She pulled away from him, and for a moment he stared at her. "They're very beautiful. Like roses and their thorns. Maybe even better."_

_"I don't think there's anything more beautiful than roses."_

_"Really."_

_"Or wild roses," Gaara continued, and suddenly their eyes met. To her blacks and to his greens. But they were more than black, her eyes, he thought. They were an array of everything he loved about her, too deep like the ocean. Too dark now to see._

_Black._

_He was always reminded of her every time he closed his eyes or when he tried to sleep._

But they are different now and he is different too.

Nobara doesn't question it, because she knows very well what she did to him.

"You're pathetic. Why do you think we came to the village?" Gaara says threateningly.

"L-Listen, they started it and--"

"Shut up." Those green eyes are enough to cut his own elder brother off. "Shut up or I will kill you..."

The spectators take a step back at the meaning behind those words. Because they aren't just an empty threat, but rather a promise. 

"I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." Kankurō stutters, looking away just as Gaara disappears in a small tornado of sand.

"Sorry," he says too, more to the ones who got involved. Then he turns away. "We should go."

"Hey, w—" The pink-haired flinches forward after she gathered her wits. "Wait!"

She takes a step back when those cold green eyes turn to her then, but she swallows anyway even though her knees are close to trembling.

"J...Judging from your hitai-ate, you guys are ninjas from the from the Sand Village, right? You may be allies of the Leaf, but it's forbidden for shinobi to enter each other's village without permission. State your purpose. Depending on it, we may not able to—"

"Don't you know anything, Leaf kunoichi?" Temari narrows her eyes at her. "The Chūnin Selection Exam. We came for that."

"Chūnin Selection Exam?" Naruto asks cluelessly.

"It's where outstanding genins from the Leaf, Sand, and other neighboring villages assemble to take an exam in order to become a chūnin. Its purpose is to improve the relationship between the allies and to raise the shinobi level and also to maintain each village's power balance. That's the time when outsiders are allowed to enter the village host." Temari then looks at the hitai-ate dangling behind Nobara's back pocket. "Now it's come to my attention you're also a participant, Ame kid."

The others stand shocked at the information, the fact that a child as small as the other kids did not come here to play. But Kankurō is only outraged.

"You're just a brat—"

"Ki-chan is more than that, you know."

Kankurō stumbles just as a black-haired boy suddenly appears in a blink of an eye between him and the masked kid. He is smiling widely at him.

"Mixed in trouble already?" Tobi grins at Kigura.

"Look here—"

"Enough with your games, Kankurō." Gaara glares at his brother, enough to put the arrogant boy in his place. Gaara looks at Kigura for a moment, but it lasts shortly before he turns away just as the Uvhiha comes leaping down from the tree.

"You," he says, looking curiously at her mask. "What's your name?"

Tobi stands protectively at her side, but she stands her ground. She smiles bitterly as Gaara notices her attention on him. And only then does he look at her longer than he should have.

"Does it matter?" she asks just as she disappears in a whirlpool of time-space.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nobara means wild rose skkk.


	19. Blaming Konoha

**THIRD PERSON'S POV**

Itachi watches Tobi bicker and annoy their 'teammate' Kigura. To others, they may look like siblings, considering the likeness Tobi and Itachi share at their current forms, then there is Kigura who vaguely resemble them too beneath her mask. But who would ever think they it's much more complex than that?

 _"She's my daughter, Itachi,"_ the words ring back to him from the night before.

He knew since the beginning that the silly act is just an act, but with Kigura Tobi is more than just silly.

Tobi throws himself at her and Kigura cries in outrage, but even when he caught her she just pushes his face away from her. Sometimes, Itachi thinks that Kigura lets the man do all those hugs, because let's face it, she can easily evade him if she really wanted to. 

Now it isn't so strange why she actually lets him hog her.

"Oh, Ki-chan, you tsundere!" Tobi giggles.

"Call me tsundere one more time and I will give you a blackeye!"

"Ouch, but you still hit me on the head!" Tobi cries as Kigura storms away from him until she's in front of him. He's been staring at her all this time.

"I..." he starts of unsurely. "I should go and... look around."

"You won't eat lunch with us?" Tobi asks, popping beside Kigura who elbows him away from her.

"You guys go on ahead. I'll meet you back in the apartment."

* * *

The sky is bright and clear, but somehow Itachi doesn't feel quite the same. He wanders to the forest, until he reaches a familiar place from his childhood. His hand trace the beaten and abandoned target practice he and his brother used to frequent.

Yet when he drifts off his memories, it's not his younger days that he sees.

 _"Why...?" He stared in shock at what Tobi just told him._ _Somehow, looking at Kigura then maskless and so fragile made him feel like a fool. "The Uchiha Clan valued little to you, yet why do you care for her this much?"_

_"She's different," Tobi answered heavily._

_He was a man of lies, and yet for some reason Itachi heard the sincerity in his voice. Briefly, his eyes lowered to the child in Tobi's arms. Her mask was left forgotten on the ground and she looked like she was in a lot of pain._

_"She's mine..."_

_"What do you mean..." he found himself saying, even though he already knew what it meant when Tobi looked at him like that._

_"She's mine and Kо̄yо̄'s.."_

_"You mean... Kо̄yо̄ Kira of Koori...?" Itachi took a step back, not expecting Kigura, out of all people, would have the Uchiha blood coursing through her veins. But not only that, but also be of Kira blood._

_Itachi h_ _ad heard of her, the Ninth Heika of the Country of Ice, from people like Danzō Shimura that it was hard to forget a figure of someone like her. The last time he had heard of her was when Danzō deemed her too dangerous that he planned for her assassination._

_"They'll kill her if they know," Tobi told him heavily. "If they knew she was the cause of Koori's destruction, if they know..."_

_Itachi froze as the information sank in, but instead of disgust and hatred like how other people usually felt, all he felt was pity—pity for the young child who had to endure the cruelties of the world. She must have been driven so much to the corner destruction was the only answer she found._

_"If only I was there... If only I was there for her, then she didn't have to suffer as much as she did..." There was so much resentment in his voice, resentment for no one else but himself. "Yet I abandoned my child and the love who carried her. I abandoned everything for my own ambitions and goals." His voice hitched then as he laughed. "Why am I even telling all of this to you?'_

_And in that moment, the masked man was only a shadow of the man who had helped him massacre his clan. Now, he was only vulnerable and broken for the child who had been suffering more than he had._

_How long had Kigura endured? How long had she been keeping it all in?_

_All this time, she had kept quiet about it to herself._

_"If they know she is a child of Uchiha and Kira blood, they will kill her, Itachi," Tobi said before his gaze darkened. "So if anyone finds out about this, I'll hurt you. I'll hurt everything you care about."_

_How precious was his family that he could threaten Itachi this much? Too precious that he was willing to destroy everything for her, Itachi's subconscious said._

_"I won't do anything to hurt Kigura..." Itachi answered as his eyes softened when he looked at her delicate face. After all, he had already seen her as a younger sister even before he knew about everything._

_The fact that she looked so much like an Uchiha pained him too, yet at the same time made him all the more protective of her._

_"How afraid she must have been..." Itachi mumbled as Tobi's attention finally drifted away from him. "So terrified and alone..."_

_"I can only imagine," Tobi said quietly with pain in his voice. He began to pull Kigura closer to him then, sharing his warmth on her cold skin. "For her, I can become cruel. The superiors of Konoha have fooled the Leaf for too long. They shouldn't have meddled in the affairs of t_ _he Country of Ice, when they followed Danzō's greed after the end of the Third War."_

_"I don't understand--"_

_"I'm only avenging what I have lost," Tobi pinned. "Now, they only have themselves to blame when they were the reason why my daughter's hands are dirtied in the first place."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Her mom used to be named Houseki, but in recent years I can't read Houseki without thinking of hoe lmao.


	20. What Do You Know?

**NOBARA'S POV**

"Tobi, stop! I can't feel my hand anymore--"

But despite my probably unheard complain, Tobi still drags me in the slightly crowded street of Konoha, my feet drawing lines on the ground because I'm afraid I'll hit him again if I try to fight him off.

The villagers all give at glances, but he's intent on another thing.

"We're almost there!" he says in excitement before he finally comes to complete stop. Now, we're standing in front of one of the many stalls in Konoha's main street. "We're finally here!"

"And where is here?" I ask, because I don't understand his excitement for such a tiny place. There is... a strangely glorious scent coming from behind the drapes though.

"You'll see." He grins as he sits me on one of the high chairs. "One miso ramen, sir!"

Tobi turns when he notices he ordered the same thing as the boy sitting right next to us. Of course, the jinchuriki, his female teammate, and that Uchiha one is also here.

"Oh, it's you again!" he exclaims. Naruto Uzumaki. I guess it's better to call him by his name. "Kamen-chan!"

Or not.

"Naruto, it's rude to point at people!" the girl scolds.

"My name is not Kamen-chan," I say with a grimace.

"But you wear a mask! So I decided to invent a name since you haven't told us your real one!" the Uzumaki says proudly. "Aren't I smart? Hehehe."

"That's stupid." I scrunch my nose. The Uchiha smirks at this.

"I didn't think they were already your friends, Ki-chan." Tobi pops from beside me and it almost takes in every ounce of my will not to hit him for calling my name just now.

"So it's Ki-chan!" Naruto says in triumph.

"Hello, I'm Tobi!" my so-called teammate says with a bubbly smile and the girl blushes, introducing herself as Sakura then the rest of her teammates, Naruto and Sasuke.

"Are you all somehow related?" Sakura wonders before flushing, realizing how intruding her question was. "I-I mean, you all just look kinda similar and Ki-chan seems a bit like your other teammate--"

"Oh, Heiwa-kun?"

I turn to Tobi, wondering who the hell is Heiwa-kun.

"You don't have to worry about offending us, Sakura-chan!" Tobi beams and the girl blushes, not even self-aware. "We are related, if that answers your question. You see, Ki-chan is my daughter, hehehe."

"I see!" Sakura smiles back, but then stops at what Tobi just said.

"What?!" Naruto and Sakura exclaims in unison, but Tobi just continues to laugh not bothering to clear up the misunderstanding, even though it isn't a misunderstanding at all...

But considering how we all look now, he'll just look like a kid father. 

"Damn idiots..." I mumble at the same time with the Uchiha, and he looks at me. I guess he isn't buying Tobi's bullshit. But he looks at me in curiosity instead. "Don't listen to Tobi. We're all siblings. He just likes to spout stupid things."

"Tobi does not!"

"See? He even talks in third person at times," I say flatly, gesturing towards my supposedly elder brother.

"Interesting siblings..." a voice says from behind us.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto exclaims and I feel myself twitch. When I felt his presence nearby, I didn't think he would actually be this group's leader. From beside me, I sense Tobi acting strangely, but he only greets that Kakashi person like the two-face he is.

"Ki-chan, where are you going?" Tobi asks, concerned when I stand up.

"I've lost my appetite."

* * *

I sigh heavily as I stalk the groves somewhere in Konoha. It's probably the only place in this goddamn village that isn't bustling with noise. There is only the sound of birds chirping overhead and the sound of leaves and twigs crunching under my feet.

I've been here for a while now just wandering about and I wonder if Tobi's going crazy trying to look for me. But I've muted my chakra presence to a point where he won't easily sense me out.

Amidst the sound of tree leaves, I hear the sound of water and I follow it until I come across a small lake.

From there, I think about disappearing. Would the people who know me be glad to see me gone? Would they smile? Laugh or cry even?

Will Gaara even remember me?

My fists clench in anger, scolding myself for thinking about him. I tell myself I don't deserve these feelings. He doesn't need me nor do I need him. 

Nobody needs me.

_Because you're hateful._

I flinch when I hear its voice, but I know it's right. I'm hateful. I'm hateful because I'm a monster, a murderer and a liar. But why does that feel painful to think about?

My eyes drift close as my thoughts plague me and then I hold the pendant hanging around my neck. Preoccupied, but still I sense out the presence standing behind me.

"You..."

I feel his black eyes looking at me.

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke Uchiha asks with venom. "You're not supposed to be here."

"Then why are you here, usuratonkachi?" I retort, challenging him.

"What did you just call me?"

"Ah... An Uchiha with good eyes but deaf?"

"Stop messing around, you brat. This place is a restricted area," Sasuke says, growing impatient. But with Hidan, I can make him loose more patience if he ever had any to begin with.

"Then _leave_ too."

"I have the right to be here."

"What, does it have your name now?" I can feel the numerous gut marks twitching on his face then.

"Look here, you stupid little brat--"

"Emo!"

"Imp!"

"Ass hair!"

"Little monster!"

"Shut up!" I suddenly raise my voice at him, but stop myself because I can't believe I let him get the better of me. He smirks up in triumph, but then he realizes what that word means to be. "Just shut up..."

He does, but I don't know what gave him the idea to pat my head. But even then, I let him anyway. Mostly because it reminds me of when Itachi would give me head pats.

In the end, he gives up the idea of driving me away from this place and instead sits beside. His attention is not on me anymore, but on the house right across the lake. I can hear the silence, abandonment heavily hanging in the air.

The warmth is slowly turning chilly and I notice the sun is already setting. 

"This used to be a special place," he tells me out of the blue. "I did my first fire ball technique by this lake in front of father. Mother would be by the house watching me."

"Did you move?" I ask. "The house seems abandoned."

"You could say that," he says, turning away. "They were murdered."

I'm surprised at how forward he was with his answer. He tries to sound unbothered, but I can hear how his voice wavers just a bit.

"Oh," is the only word I can muster.

I don't apologize, because I know he's probably already sick and tired of hearing empty sympathy. He isn't grieving anymore, but I can tell he is lonely.

"Are you going to avenge them?" I ask and I feel him suddenly stiffen at my words. "If so, then you are foolish."

Just like I was.

"What do you know?" he asks me angrily. "To be alone, to be robbed off by someone you trusted so much... How would you know how that feels?"

But I do.

So perfectly.

"People who kill their own blood..." He looks away, turning to the distance with a dark look in his eyes. "They sicken me."

But that alone is enough to anger me, to make me stand up on my feet and hit him right across the face. Because it hurts somehow, to hear those words.

And it's nice. It feels nice to hit him at least once.

"You're the one who don't understand, _Sasuke_ ," I tell him with a dark undertone in my voice as my Sharingan momentarily flash through the slit holes of my mask.

And then I leave him behind just like that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hihi, so instead of using Uchiwa as what Itachi originally used as an alias (WTF ME SO VERY ORIGINAL), I replaced it with the name Heiwa instead from my other fanfic Love, Heiwa. Check it out? Lmao.


	21. Your Sand Knows Me

**THIRD PERSON'S POV**

"I understand that you need a disguise for the mission, but what the fuck man?!"

"Please refrain from screaming in our faces, Hidan." Itachi sighs like he's going to have a headache. "Why are you here again?"

At the same time, they take it upon themselves to stalk Kigura while hiding in the shadows. It's because they've been quite worried about her as she has been acting weirdly recently. But for some reason, Hidan just showed up out of nowhere and joined them.

Tobi worries she's acting weird because he brought her to Ichiraku's Ramen. 

"And--And--" Hidan then points at Kigura. "What the fuck is that?!"

"That's Kigura," Itachi answers impassively. "Does Leader know you're here, Hidan?"

"Well, excuse me! Are you accusing me of being a runaway now? He told me to check on Tobi. Argh! You're purposely making me loose topic!" Hidan accuses.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't play dumb with me!" Hidan yells. "You know that's not what I—!"

"Hidan-senpai! Itachi-senpai!" Tobi interrupts.

"Oh, shut the fuck up, Tobi!" the Jashinist screams. "How the fuck did Kigura ended up being a girl?!"

"Oh," Itachi answers in a way that irritates Hidan even more. "That."

"Yes... _that_." Hidan purses his lips. Itachi's about to open his mouth again, but then Tobi interrupts them again.

"Hidan-senpai! Itachi-senpai!"

Hidan looks like he's gonna blow up with how red with anger he is right then.

"SENPAI! SENPAI! SENPAI!"

"WHAT THE FUCKING HELL DO YOU WANT?!" Hidan screams in Tobi's face.

"I... I think Kigura noticed us stalker her and ditched us..."

"Why didn't you say so sooner?!"

* * *

Nobara sighs, wondering how can S-rank criminals be this stupid.

For starters, you never stalk someone with loud voices. Secondly, you don't say their names. Take note that their senses become stronger when you do, and then there's her natural strong sense of hearing too. And then thirdly, how could they stalk her at such a short distance?

Nobara groans, the way their acting stressing her out so much she actually forgets she is angry with a certain Uchiha to begin with.

"I di-didn't say because you keep getting mad at Tobi!"

"I thought you were keeping an eye on hi-her!"

Stupid Hidan.

To be honest, Hidan hasn't at all forgotten about how he was fooled into dressing up as a woman. He's convinced somehow that Kigura has a secret hate for him, but that's not really it.

She only wants to annoy him as much as she can, either by chopping off his hand and hiding it in Tobi's bed or in the refrigerator to keep him fresh.

Hidan has sworn his vengeance, but somehow Kigura is too good for his lousy tricks.

"Idiots," Nobara scoffs as she hears their bickering before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. She finds herself in the less secluded streets of Konoha, just wandering around.

_"They sicken me."_

She finds herself irritated again as she rubs her head, feeling like she'll have a headache.

It's not like she killed her own clan out of her own volition. It wasn't selfish of her, was it?

Her attention is caught then when she notices the traces of sand long before she is grabbed by the arm. He grips it so tightly that she thinks it might bruise, but that's not what makes her stop.

It's the fact that her barrier isn't acting up.

What...

She tries to act like it's nothing as she faces the boy who stands before her now. He is taller than she remembers him last.

"You... What are you doing?" she demands at him, her voice almost venomous. 

"Your name..." Gaara says, his voice different from the time when they used to be together. She realizes that she hates it, that this Gaara is not the same Gaara she knew. But she knows exactly the reason why and because of that who is she to feel disappointed now?

"That's none of your business, is it?"

She can feel how this aggravates him as he slams her back on the fence. Maybe he even senses how she smirks beneath her mask.

"What, are you going to kill me now, Gaara?"

He's too close—too close even for her and the fact that he's leaning to her ear doesn't make it better.

"I don't like repeating myself," he growls. "You name...?"

That's when she feels his sand begin to crawl up her ankles and tighten. But still, even though she knows she can't rely on her barrier at the moment, she barely even moves nor does she try to escape him.

She knows, wherever she may be, whoever she turn out, he will never be able to hurt her. And he only realizes it now.

"Why...?" His voice is laced with confusion and struggle.

"Because your sand can't hurt me," she tells him, and this time its her turn to lean to his ear. " _You can't hurt me, Gaara_."

He almost shudders at the way she calls his name, and just like she said he really can't. No matter how much he tries to control his sand and command it to crush her, he'll only grow more confused at what's stopping him, oblivious to the fact that it's because his sand recognizes her.

* * *

"Is it really alright to just leave him like that?" Temari asks worriedly. She sits across the bed from her younger brother who has his face buried in his hands. Beneath that he looks just as frustrated as Temari.

"There's nothing we could've done, Temari," Kankurō says, glancing at her. "It's not like we could've done anything to stop him."

"He looked murderous," Temari interjects.

Kankurō sighs, running his hand through his brown hair as his black hood falls down. "He always look murderous, Temari. He might just want someone to kill. Killing one of the villagers wouldn't hurt. It's not like he leaves any evidence behind since he crushes everything and his sand... seems to like the blood."

"It's not that I'm worried about." Temari shakes her head.

"Alright, fine," Kankurō mumbles. "Well, do you think it's those Ame kids?"

Temari's silent for a second, thinking. "Maybe."

"That bubbly kid?"

She glances at him and she frowns. She thinks back, but she already know the answer to that question. "No, not him..."


	22. Chunin Exams...!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Under her oversized hoodie, that's how young me imaged her clothes were.

**THIRD PERSON'S POV**

When Nobara realized the extent of what Orochimaru did, she can't help but curse him every minute of the day. It's as she suspected it, her barrier isn't acting up because of the Unleashing Technique he did.

Goddamnit.

Her head really hurts to the point she wants to kill someone for it.

"Are you okay, Ki-chan?" Tobi asks from her side. They're finally at the Academy where the first exam is to take place.

"I'm fine," she says unconvincingly, but he lets it go considering she's already in a bad mood. Instead, he looks around. 

The genins in the same corridor all look at them, but most especially the masked one among them because she looks far too young to be participating in a deadly event such as the Chūnin Exams. chūnin

But who are they to say she's not fit to be here?

She isn't the one getting fooled into thinking that the room they're currently crowding around on is the real Room 301. There are two chūnin disguised as genins, blocking their way from entering the fake room.

"You plan on taking the Chūnin Exams with that? You're just a kid," Izumo, one of the two disguised chūnin, sneers at the thick-browed boy who had just punched down.

"Yeah, yeah," the other of the two, Kotetsu, seconds.

"Please, we only want to get through..." the boy's teammate almost pleads. But instead of being answered, Izumo raises his fist to strike her only for his fist to be caught by Itachi.

The girl blushes at the sight of Itachi, the scene already grabbing all the genins' attention.

"You should be ashamed to even attempt on hitting a girl." Itachi grimaces, crushing Izumo's hand in his. The chūnin winces just as some girls squeal for whatever reason, but Izumo quickly composes himself back as he hauls back his hand.

"So what, huh?" he snarls, clutching his aching hand.

Itachi might have crushed it a little.

"Listen, this is our kindness," Kotetsu says, stepping in. "The Chūnin Exams will be difficult. We've already failed three times. Those that take this exams and end up quitting as shinobi, and those that died during the exams, we've seen it all. Yet, you think you can pass?"

"It's not any of your business whether we participate or not, is it?" Nobara finally speaks up. "Whoever have seen worse, it doesn't matter. _Now quit with this pathetic genjutsu_."

At first, the two chūnin seems impressed that a child like her noticed it, but then they feel outraged at the manner of her tone.

Kotetsu's hand flicks, attempting to hit her in that moment, but before his fist can even touch her, someone has already grabbed his wrist. Nobara didn't even flinch. She only acknowledges the one who supposedly saved her.

"Listen to the girl," says that arrogant Uchiha. "Release the genjutsu. I also want to go to the third floor."

Sasuke.

And in that moment, the number above the door starts to change from 301 to 201. The spectators all look shocked, grabbing most of the attention. Kotetsu takes this chance to aim a kick at Sasuke then, which Sasuke seems glad to return with a kick of his own. But even before they can even hurt each other, the thick-browed boy from before catches both of their attacks and gets in between them.

"What happened to the plan?" asked the girl who almost got punched earlier. "Weren't you the one who said not to draw attention among ourselves?"

The Hyūga beside her looks at Sasuke then, appraising the Uchiha as he approaches. "Hey, you. What's your name?"

Sasuke almost narrows his eyes at him. "It's common courtesy to tell your name first before you ask for one, isn't it?"

"You're a rookie, right?" the Hyūga continues instead. This time, Sasuke ignores him and coolly walks away as the buns girl stares at the Uchiha's back with a small blush.

"He's pretty cute..." she mumbles.

Sasuke stops at Nobara's direction, but she doesn't want to give him a time of the day. So without so much as a word, she walks away from him, even though he looked like he wanted so say something.

* * *

Izumo and Kotetsu looks at the fourteen-year-old boy approaching them. He has black hair and eyes, as well as a pale complexion. Had they not known any better, they would have mistaken him for an uchiha, but they know all members of that clan is already dead except for Itachi and Sasuke.

"What do you want?" Kotetsu demands. He isn't in genin form anymore and neither is Izumo.

"Please don't try something like that again, senpai." Tobi smiles.

"You mean you went all the way here just to warn us?" Izumo laughs. "Your little teammate just got lucky he didn't get hit."

"But, senpai, it's wrong to hit girls!" Tobi tries to reason.

"That was a girl?" Kotetsu snorts. "Whatever. We can do whatever we want."

"I really suggest you don't try something like that again, especially on Ki-chan," Tobi's voice drips ever so slightly, but they can tell the threat in those black eyes of his. "Unless you want to die, that is..."

At first, this only outrages the two of them as they try to attack Tobi, but before they can even think they're already on their knees as Tobi looks down on them with very cold eyes.

They hadn't taken the boy seriously before, but now they think it must have been a mistake to have taken him lightly.

"I don't really like it when I repeat myself," he says. "I want straight answers. Do you understand or not?"

Somehow, the boy in front of them now frightens them enough to blindly do as he says. "W-We understand...!"

Tobi smirks at their fear. "Good."

* * *

**In the examination room**

"You guys should be quiet," an ash-haired man says towards the rookie genins, making them all quiet down. "You're rookies just out of the Academy, right? Screaming like a bunch of school girls. Geez."

"Who do you think you are?" Ino demands, glaring at him.

"I'm Kabuto," he introduces himself. "But instead of that, look behind you."

At what they're told, they all turn back only to be greeted by glares from the other people in the room.

"Those guys behind you are from the Rain. They have really short tempers," Kabuto says. "Everyone is nervous about the exams. So please, quiet down."

"I... I'm sorry," Sakura says, embarrassed of her own teammate Naruto who was making the most noise earlier. Ino though makes no comment and only turns away.

"No need to apologize to me" Kabuto waves her off with a smile. "I can't really blame your group for being noisy, you know. You remind me of how I used to be, honestly."

"Really?"

"Actually, this is already my seventh time and I already know pretty much about everything in this exams. If you want, I could give some information with you, rookies."

"Cool!" Naruto exclaims. "With what, though?"

"With these nin-info cards," Kabuto says as he pulls out the said items from his weapon pouch. "They are basically cards with information burned into them with chakra."

While Naruto looks excited, Sakura on the other hand looks confused. "But they're blank."

"They only look blank at first," Kabuto tells her before picking up a single card and lays it on the floor. He then presses two fingers on top of it, his other hand forming a single hand sign.

"What are you doing?" Shikamaru asks.

"They seem blank if not used. I can't use them unless I use my chakra," Kabuto answers. While the rest are paying attention, Kiba is muttering to himself while Choji is more preoccupied with his chips.

"Do you have information on individuals?" Sasuke questions, drawing everyone's attention.

"Of course," Kabuto replies. "Say something about these guys and I'll take a look."

"Rock Lee from the Leaf," Sasuke says, "and Gaara of the Sand."

"Oh, so you knew their names? This should be easy then." He then pulls out two cards, in which he reads out loud. On the other hand, Naruto is too busy thinking about the certain white-eyed person he met a while ago to hear about bushy brows until it's the Sand genin's turn.

"Gaara of the Sand..." Kabuto starts of. "Although he's only a genin, he'd been given missions that should've been exclusively for chūnins or even jōnins. I'm surprised he's allowed to. And it seems... not once has he come back with so much as a single fleck of injury or dirt."

At the new information, the Rookie 9 falls silent, even Naruto who usually has something to say about everything.

"Water, Grass, Leaf, Sand, and Cloud... many outstanding genins from various villages are here to take the exams. They're all filled with talented youngsters," Kabuto continues.

"M... Makes you lose your confidence..." Hinata looks so little at that moment.

"Don't be so down, Hinata-chan!" Naruto tries to encourage her, but he only makes her blush.

 _I wonder_ , Kiba thinks as he looks a them.

"Basically, what I'm trying to say is, just like Gaara and Lee, they're the top elite genins from various countries."

Sasuke suddenly looks wary. "How many genins should we be watching out for exactly?"

"Those specific Ame-nins," Kabuto says lowly as he pulls out two cards from the pile. "If you want to know someone you should be watching out for, it's them."

"But—" Sakura looks questionably towards Kabuto, "—why? They don't seem dangerous."

"I don't have much information on them, but I know they're those kinds of shinobi, special you might say." Then his eyes trail over the crowd. "See that tall guy with short hair? He looks pretty harmless, but he leave you on the floor near death state."

"Isn't that a bit exaggerating it...?" Sakura asks, but Kabuto looks serious. Hinata shivers.

"And the other guy?" Sasuke asks, not knowing why he even bothered. 

"I wouldn't have mentioned the whole group if one wasn't someone that you should be wary of," Kabuto answers. "If you want his information, well you could just say, he... may be more dangerous than that Gaara. And also this..."

He then pulls out another card.

"Might not look like it, but... keep a watch on this genin too. You'll never know what might happen."

Sasuke looks at the information then, expecting to see someone older, bigger, and scarier. But he is surprised there is only a young boy on the info card.

"Sasuke-kun?" 

At Sakura's voice, he hands over the card to her where the others look over. They all have the same thoughts, the boy has a very effeminate features that one might mistake him for a girl. What's even more surprising is that he is two years younger than them with his number of missions:

S-ranked, 3  
A-ranked, 5  
B-ranked, 10  
C-ranked, 9  
D-ranked, 8

"Hearing about those genins from earlier, I'm not quite surprised about this anymore..." Kiba mumbles sullenly.

"What a drag," Shikamaru grumbles.

"Are you sure about this information?" Ino laughs as she points at the card, because she can't quite believe it.

"I've never written anything wrong in my info-card. What's written is—" Kabuto's stopped from explaining when he senses a familiar chakra signature approaching them. And as his eyes look up, he is met with the dark pink hair and cocky brown eyes.

One of the Sound Five, Tayuya.

"Vermin," she acknowledges rudely. "I didn't know that the Snake would let his puppet roam free without any restrictions."

"Who..."

Rookie 9 all look at the tall girl then with a boy beside her, a bit muscular for his age that Ino drops dead in her tracks to stare. But these two aren't the reason why the rookies all turn to a stop—it's the same boy in the card that makes them.

"Yūki-kun," Kabuto says then he glances at Tayuya. "And you... It seems the Snake had let the rude one out the basement, huh."

He is replied with a sneer.

"Please don't fight," the white-haired boy named Yūki says softly, which makes Naruto look up and stop from daydreaming. 

"Yūki-chan!" Naruto exclaims, obviously not listening when the rest of the Rookie 9 were talking about the boy's gender. "Yūki-chan, what brings you here? Did you come for me, huh? Did you?"

"Ah, Naruto-san," Yūki says unsurely, but to his relief Tayuya steps in front of him and blocks Naruto's view.

"And who are you supposed to be?" she asks with a voice so demeaning she makes Naruto so small.

"I'm," he falters a bit but stands his ground. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, believe it!"

"Wait, wait!" Ino interferes, annoyed. "Who are you anyways?! Isn't it a bit too rude to interrupt a person who is talking to someone? Kabuto was saying something earlier!"

"Well, aren't you doing it right now, yourself?" Tayuya sneers and Ino backs away.

"Who are you anyway?" Sakura steps in.

Tayuya looks like she's about to snap at her, but her teammate puts a hand on her shoulder. "Enough, Tayuya."

"Tch. Whatever." She crosses her arms before she walks away.

"Excuse her," Toujou says, sounding apologetic. "She's always like that. I'm Toujou by the way."

Yūki follows after Tayuya then after apologizing quickly. Their third teammate, on the other hand, remains with the Rookie 9 and simply sighs.

"They're your teammates, aren't they?" Kiba asks. "Aren't you gonna follow them or something?"

"Nah." Toujou waves off. "I'm probably just gonna be the third w... Nevermind. I don't trust them alone."

And then he stalks away to find his teammates. Rookie 9 looks baffled then as Kabuto merely sighs while Sasuke isn't done with the info-cards just yet.

"You didn't mention the last one," he says, referring to the Ame-nins. "The masked one."

"That—" Kabuto hesitates. He thought that skipping that person would have gone unnoticed, but now he regrets ever bringing up the so-called Ame-nins at all.

"A-Alright," Kabuto concedes, but even as he pulls out the info-card for the Rookie 9 he still feels anxious that he pauses.

"Kabuto-san, what's wrong?" Sakura asks. "Aren't you going to read the information about her?"

Kiba's head snaps towards Sakura with a confused look. "Her?How can you even say that that Ame kid is a girl?"

"Yeah. With that oversized jacket, that masked kid could be a boy for all we know! Hopefully as good-looking as his teammates!" Ino begins to daydream.

"Correction, Ino-pig." Sakura frowns. "They're all siblings. And no, she is not a boy, but an actual girl. Sasuke-kun, Naruto, and I—"

"I didn't I asked for your opinion, billboard-brow!"

"Why you—"

"Girls, girls!" Kabuto tries to calm them down. "There's no need to fight over such trivial matters."

"I agree with you, Kabuto-san. Let's just look at the information so we can prove this pig over here wrong." Sakura smirks.

Ino glares at her then. "Go ahead, Kabuto-san. Let that forehead know that she's the one who is actually wrong, and I was right all along."

Kabuto sighs, wondering if he should really give the information away, but in the end he gives in anyway. Sakura and Ino eagerly try to get to the card, but just before Kabuto lays it down on the ground he feels the sting of heat on his fingers.

He lets it go just as the card bursts into a small flame and then turns into ashes.

Even with just that, Kabuto already knows who caused it that he turns pale.


	23. Demon Within

**THIRD PERSON'S POV**

Even though it's only Nobara's intention to scare the Rookie 9 off a little bit, one particular blond boy remains lively and energetic as he points a finger at the crowd. "MY NAME IS UZUMAKI NARUTO AND I WON'T LOSE TO YOU, BASTARDS! GOT THAT?!"

Huh. He's an interesting one, Nobara thinks to herself.

On the other hand, Kabuto looks like he's seen a ghost. In that moment, Nobara has already placed genjutsu on three Oto-nins just for a little bit of enjoyment.

As soon as the genjutsu was cast, they're already on the move. Kabuto surprisingly dodges the first Oto-nin coming for him, but he doesn't see the second one who emerges in front of Kabuto.

Kabuto is good enough to dodge the way the Oto-nin from swinging his metal arm. But what Kabuto doesn't think about quickly is that they are from sound, which means they also use sounds as weapons.

"What's going on?!" Kiba asks in shock after Kabuto's glasses broke. "He dodged it, right? But why did his glasses broke?!"

"The thing on the Sound ninja's arm probably grazed it," Shikamaru answers lazily. "Tch, that's what you get for being such a big shot."

But then Kabuto suddenly throws up as everyone gasps. As Nobara is just about to smirk at the outcome, her fun is cut short when the proctor finally makes his appearance, erupting in a series of smokes together with chūnins behind him.

The Commanding Office of the Torture and Interrogation Force, Morino Ibiki, as Proctor? Nobara hums in amusement. That definitely doesn't happen every day.

"You pigs over there!" Ibiki yells, his every bit intimidating as he looks. Well, intimidating to the genins who never really killed for themselves before. "Hidden Sound genins, do you want to fail already?"

It isn't a question, but rather a threat.

It's only then does Nobara releases her genjutsu and the Oto-nins apologized, a bit confused. They didn't even realize they were manipulated before.

"There will be no fighting without the permission of the examiner. Even if you are given permission, killing your opponent will not be tolerated. Those pigs who disobey me will immediately fail," he warns. "Do I make myself clear?"

As the number of genins nod and answer, Nobara turns away and approaches Kabuto who's picking up the pieces of his glasses. When he looks up, he's surprised to come face to face with Nobara then.

"N-Nobara-hime..." he says, his eyes showing a bit of his fear. Considering he is Orochimaru's underling, of course he'd also know.

"How much do you know from the snake?"

Kabuto hesitates to answer, but he doesn't want to test her patience. "Everything there is to know, hime-sama." He looks down when he realizes his answer displeased her.

"And that snake... he's going to be there for the rest of the Chūnin Exams, correct?"

"Y...Yes..."

"Then pass on my message," she tells him. "Tell him to watch out, because this time I _will_ kill him."

Kabuto staggers at her words, more so at the threat in them. Even though she's much younger than him, he has to admit that he is scared of her.

"I suggest you also don't do anything funny," Nobara warns him, turning away. "It's a hassle for me to kill each and everyone who gets in my way."

Just when she returns to her so-called teammates, Ibiki and the other chūnins are already giving out tabs for their seat locations. When she finally gets hers, she can't help but curse under her breath because she ended up sitting right next to a certain redhead.

* * *

**Hokage's building**

**Minutes after the exam started**

"Hokage-sama, the kids these year..." Kurenai trails off, her red eyes slightly boring right into the crystal ball together with the rest of the elite jōnins. It reflects the room where the first phase of the Chūnin Exam was being held.

"Quite intriguing, aren't they?" The Hokage chuckles, blowing out smoke from his pipe.

"And also quite dangerous-looking, Hokage-sama," Asuma adds. "It seems the kids this year already knows what they're going to do. It's almost frightening how advanced the generation is becoming..."

"Not quite all though." Kakashi sighs, on the other hand, as the crystal ball reflects a certain blond boy. Guy laughs while the Hokage shares the same amusement as he chuckles.

Naruto looks like he's going frantic on how he's going to answer the questions on the test.

"Ah, the boy never really learns..." the Hokage comments just as the orb begins to change again, flashing several faces until it stops on a certain masked child.

"What a peculiar-looking boy," the Hokage says, rubbing his chin. The 'boy' wears a simple mask with the Rain symbol engraved on its forehead.

"Looks about seven, don't you think?" Asuma says. "Around Konohamaru's age."

"I'm impressed," Guy remarks.

"I didn't know there were child geniuses in Rain in this time of the year," the Hokage says. Then the orb begins to showcase all of the masked child's teammates as Kakashi's eyes flicker interest in them, especially the short-haired one amongst them.

"Huh... that's interesting..."

"What is, Kakashi?" Kurenai asks.

"Haven't you noticed it?" Kakashi says, but the woman only looks at him baffled at what he is talking about. Then he looks at the crystal ball again as realization finally fawns on her.

"They've already finished the exams and it's barely even 10 minutes..."

"These kids..." Asuma trails off. "They're incredible."

"There's more?" Guy asks as the crystal ball begins to move again, this time on a snow-haired effeminate boy. "Geez, this children are too much."

"They really make one taken aback..." Kakashi mumbles. "I didn't think anyone of this kids would interest me other than my students."

"Well, Lord Hokage..." Asuma smirks, "it seems the Chūnin Exams this year will be a lot more interesting than the previous ones."

"Yes." The Hokage smiles. "Interesting it will be indeed."

* * *

To Nobara, it's quite unnerving to stay still when you know someone is keeping an eye on you. And it's not just the chūnins she's talking about, but the one from far away... and then the boy sitting right beside her.

For the remainder of the time, she wastes her time napping, facing away from Gaara's direction so that she won't have to look at him as she just spectates with her senses the other genins cheat for answers. But of course, she can't really ignore him forever.

"Who are you really?" he asks, his voice void of any of the murderous intent he had before. Now, it's just genuine curiosity. "Why can't my sand hurt you?"

 _Because I was your friend_ , Nobara wants to say but she doesn't give him the straight answer.

"I thought you already knew," she says, referring to the time when he glanced at her paper to look at the name she wrote down.

"I'm not easily fooled with false names," Gaara sneers. "You look like you hide many things, a secret perhaps?"

"Everybody has secrets," she answers.

"You're right," he agrees "Everybody has secrets. Even you."

At their exchange, Nobara clenches at her pencil. Her eyes are starting to hurt again, one of the side effects of what Orochimaru did to her. And then it hurts a little bit more when she feels something invade her senses.

* * *

Ibiki's gaze is set on the masked child sitting next to the redhead from the Sand. He watches her in utter suspicion and curiosity. As he noticed, the boy is one of the first genins to finish the test. But what actually gets his attention how quick he came up with his answers that Ibiki wonders what the hell the boy did.

Meanwhile, from the distance in the sea of genins, a brown-haired Yamanaka smirks to herself as she sets a target for her technique—the masked kid in the front row.

She glances for approval to her other teammates from afar before she begins.

As her hands form a triangle focused on her target, the Yamanaka's body looses consciousness. She expected to fully use the kid's body then, but when she body transferred what greets her is a malice of darkness.

And it's then that Nobara feels it, when something invades her mind—where _it_ has been sleeping all along.

Nobara makes a noise so audible Gaara glances at her.

In that exact moment, the Yamanaka vomits inside the classroom as Ibiki's attention pulls away from the masked child. 

The girl is no older than 13, her pair of amber eyes filled with complete and utter fear. In Ibiki's whole life in the Torture and Interrogation Force, he has never seen someone that scared before. The way her eyes widen in terror... it isn't normal.

"Are you okay, kid? What's wrong?" asked one of the chūnins. "Hey—" 

Her scream cuts him off as she grips her head tightly. She is sweating profusely. "D-Demon!"

"Ibiki-san, what do we do?!" another chūnin ass as the girl, for the second time, throws up on the floor.

"Bring her to the medics," Ibiki orders. "Now!"


	24. The Power of Fangirls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another Nobara drawing.

**THIRD PERSON'S POV**

"So tell me..." Hidan trails off as he hugs the bars fro the inside with a huge frown on his face, half naked again considering he isn't wearing his Akatsuki cloak. "How the fuck did we end up here again?"

"But didn't Hidan-senpai already asked that—"

"I don't care, Tobi! Just answer the goddamn question!

"Hidan-senpai might try to kill Tobi agai—"

"Shut the fuck up! Now tell me once more," he says lowly. "HOW THE FUCKING HELL DID WE END UP IN KONOHA JAIL?!"

* * *

"Did you hear that, Itachi?"

It had been exactly three hours since the first part of the Chūnin Exams ended. Because of what happened earlier, the others who have already finished has been dismissed early. Unfortunately, the second part is to take place tomorrow.

Because of the annoying ache on her head, Nobara keeps her hood low.

"No," Itachi answers.

As they walk the crowded streets of Konoha, the female population keeps on looking at him and calling him attractive, whatever the word even means. To be honest, it's starting to annoy Nobara.

"Odd." She furrows her eyebrows. "I thought I heard... nevermind."

Itachi glances at her, but he decides to leave her be anyway.

Normally, Nobara likes to have her alone time, but she likes when Itachi keeps her company too. Maybe because he doesn't talk as much as the other members do and only talked when it's utterly necessary.

And admittedly, she does see him somewhat of an... elder brother.

"Excuse me," a voice disrupts her thoughts.

A girl has approached them, or more specifically Itachi. There are two other girls beside her, which just bothers the Uchiha boy all the more.

"Yes?"

"You don't look from around her," she says lamely, all sweet and innocent. It makes Nobara wonder what she's actually getting at. Doesn't she see the Rain hitai-ate Itachi is wearing on his forehead at all? Is she blind? "If you want, we can show you around."

Nobara frowns.

"We're from Ame. You can tell if you look at our hitai-ate," she answers impatiently. Then the girls attention turns to the masked kid, barely able to conceal that they just wanted Itachi all to themselves.

"And who might you be?" the girl says almost snidely, but she guises it with a fake smile. They don't fool Nobara though, because Nobara senses everything even from the smallest of details. 

"She's my imouto." Itachi smiles, melting them like goo.

"She's pretty!" the girls suddenly blurt out. The way they changed their attitudes quickly disgusts Nobara. "So about showing you around... what do you say?"

"Thank you, bu—"

"Great!" The first girl beams before Itachi can even decline her as they loop their skinny arms around Itachi.

"W-Wait! You can't take m-my o-o-o—" she stutters so much it actually takes her a while to finish it, "onii-chan!"

_Well I'll be damned._

Itachi looks as shocked as Nobara is, but more than that, he looks more elated to hear her call him onii-chan. But that really isn't enough, because those girls got what they wanted and snatched Itachi away. 

* * *

H-How...

Nobara looks confused on how those girls did it. Compared to her and Itachi, they shouldn't even stand a chance but somehow they have managed to kidnap Itachi.

It isn't every day females would throw themselves at the Uchiha, as they usually cowered in fear, so what happened really baffled her.

She doesn't bother to find Itachi though, because she knows he can take care of himself one way or another. Besides, her head is hurting again that thinking of something else feels like a bother.

As Nobara keeps on walking, she turns to one of the corners in the street before she almost walks into an embarrassing confession.

"Please go out with me!" Naruto Uzumaki pours out all his heart, interesting enough that Nobara actually stops to witness the moment.

"B...But you don't understand, Naruto-san," a soft voice answers. "I... I don't date boys."

Nobara raises an eyebrow.

The one Naruto is confessing to is a beautiful person with snow white hair and pale eyes.

"Nani?" Naruto cries. "You...You like girls, Yūki-chan?"

"Yes. I'm sorry, Naruto-san," the stranger says sadly, bowing towards the jinchūriki before running away and leaving a heartbroken and rejected blond with a look of disbelief on his face.

"Yūki-chan is lesbian?" Nobara hears Naruto say to himself one more time as her attention follows the white-haired person with an extremely dark aura for a moment. But then it disappears as they bump into each other.

"O-Oh no, I'm sorry!" Yūki turns apologizing, his expression softening the moment he realizes who he's on top of. He immediately pulls himself away and helps her up. He looks embarrassed all of a sudden. "Y...You saw that?"

Well not really see, but she did witness it.

Her lack of answer makes Yūki blush.

"I don't quite understand why Naruto didn't perceive you were the same gender."

Yūki's eyes widen. "You think I'm a boy?"

"Are you not?"

"I am, it's just—" Somehow, the stranger is emitting a really happy aura.

"Is it not obvious, *Kagem?"

"My name is Yūki," he says as Nobara recalls she has better things that to continue a menial conversation.

"I have to leave now," she tells him, turning away. "It was nice to have met you, Kagem."

"Hey! My name is Yūki!" he yells after her, but Nobara is far too lazy to reply so she only leaves. But just as she's far enough, she bumps into someone again.

What is up with her and bumping into people?

Especially to someone like Sasuke Uchiha.

This side effect is really not doing her any good...

* * *

"You fucking little runt!" Hidan yells as he tries to get a hold of Tobi's throat. He too has transformed into a fourteen-year-old, just to avoid getting pursued by the Konoha-nin again. Now they're in the forest.

"W-What did Tobi do now?"

"What did you do?" Hidan repeats violently. "What did you do?!"

"You're scaring me, Hidan-senpai," Tobi whimpers.

"I don't give a fucking damn if you're scared or not! You fucking left me with those Leaf bastards after we escaped prison with your fucking clone!" Hidan yells about to loose his balls. "Do you know how discouraging that is? A fucking clone..."

"There, there, Hidan-senpai. Tobi didn't mean to hurt—"

"Don't fucking touch me!" Hidan lashes out. "It was your fault we were thrown in jail in the first place!"

"But Tobi though he only brought a failed prototype from Deidara-senpai!" Tobi reasons. "Tobi didn't think they'd explode when he threw it in the hospital, swear! Tobi didn't mean to destroy!"

"Tell that to my fucking f—"

"Hidan, Tobi," a familiar voice catches their attention. Itachi.

Tobi runs towards him immediately, seeking refuge. The Jashinist, on the other hand, throws them a dirty look.

"Look who decided to finally show up. Where the hell have you been?" Hidan demands. "And wait, are those kiss marks?"

"Oh, well I—" Itachi suddenly looks embarrassed as he wipes his cheek. "No..." he answers lamely. "Have you seen Kigura?"

He tries to deviate the subject away from him because Itachi honestly doesn't want to talk about it. He especially doesn't want them to find out about those... those _girls_ and how they petrified him.

"Wasn't she with you?" Tobi asks, but somehow the fact that no one knows where Kigura is sets an edge in his usually playful voice. 

"We got separated. I—"

Hidan scrunches his nose at the odd tension that suddenly settles in the air. But Tobi really isn't pleased to know that his daughter is alone somewhere in a village he despised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Yūki had a separate story of his own, it was called Naive Treachery: Embracing the Darkness co-written by Nerezo. *Kagem means darkness.


	25. Are You Like Me?

"Stop avoiding me," he says as he grabs her arm, his hold a little too rough than necessary. And it's funny, because he's the one asking for her time and yet he still has that lousy attitude she seems to seethe at.

"Let go," she clips, but his hold only gets tighter, causing the tension between them to rise. "Let go or I'll severe your hand and feed it to you."

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry, okay?" he says in frustration before releasing a heavy sigh. He brushes his hair back with his other hand a troubled look on his face. But the masked child doesn't seem like she's convinced.

"Sorry?" she echoes with an empty voice before she flicks his hand of harshly away from her. "You're sorry? For what? For being a prick?"

He tenses at her harsh words.

"You don't need to apologize for it. It just measured my durability to certain bullshit." She's about to walk away, but he seems persistent just as he sounds.

"What do they have to do with you anyway?" he demands. "What did it matter to you about my opinion?"

"Because you're ignorant," she snaps. "What do _you_ know?"

"What do I know?" Sasuke repeats incredulously. "I know that my brother killed our family! I know that be betrayed the clan, that he left me to live because I was not even worth it enough!"

"Is that it?" she whispers in pitiful mock, having him feel the way she judged him and he flinches. "Yet still you were _just_ there. You didn't really know the whole story. You were just a victim who didn't know what was running in the mind of the murderer."

And for the first time, Sasuke is stunned to silence at what she said. Even though he doesn't want to admit it, even though he refuses to, she's not speaking far from the truth.

And she's right.

What did he know?

It's hard to swallow, because her words seem to be enough of a confrontation to the slap he received from her before.

"How would you know that?" he asks her, his voice suddenly soft. And in his eyes, there is something all too familiar there. "Are you just like me then? Were you left behind?"

Was she?

Things begin to turn foggy then, her mind and her senses as something screeches n her ears. She begins remembering again, that place so dark and violent.

She lets out an exhausted release of breath, but she turns away from him, refusing to let the weakness show. And even then, Sasuke has already seen the pain in her eyes through the gaps of her mask.

He knows then she's more than she lets on.

Her knees suddenly feel weak, and just like that they give away beneath her. Her raspy breath, the shaking in her hands won't even cease.

"Don't touch me," she says hoarsely, glaring at the way he's about to approach her and help. "Just let me stay like this..."

But he seems persistent when he kneels in front of her, and just like that pulls from behind her head and onto his chest. 

And even though she hates it so much, hating the fact that no matter how much she denies it, there is something about his hands that remind her of Itachi—so much that she lets him touch her even though she doesn't like him.

And even though his hands feel like Itachi's, this very act is Gaara's. The ones he did to calm her whenever she becomes like this.

And in return she calmed him.

As she lets the weakness take over then, feeling the vibrations on his chest, she closes her eyes as Sasuke looks to the stars.

* * *

"Should we really be just staying up here and watch him touch her like that?" Hidan grumbles quietly, staring at that onyx-eyed boy and at Nobara who he doesn't recognize. "And I don't think Tobi would like other boys touching her like that."

Itachi is staring at the pair in a way that Hidan can't possibly describe, but in the end, Itachi has to sigh. He nods absently before nodding, but nonetheless really doesn't say anything else.

"Ugh. You and the Uchiha attitude." Hidan rolls his eyes before finally leaping along with Itachi and before Sasuke.

And almost immediately, the younger Uchiha looks guarded. The expression on his face is enough to notice that, but Hidan raises his hand in mock surrender.

"I'll take my imouto," Itachi says, almost sounding dismissive as he approaches to pick her up. He can sense the discomfort in Sasuke then as Itachi takes her away.

And he doesn't know, when was the last time he has seen her almost asleep, having her guard down so low—almost in a way she trusts Sasuke. And he notices more when she stirs in discomfort when he took her away.

She is about to mumble something, but he cradles her in a way so soft that she seems lulled again.

"Hush..." he whispers softly, looking down at her as he tucks her closer to him. And it is that easy, that she welcomes the warmth that envelops her that moment, her pale fingers curling.

Sharingan flashing momentarily, her dazed eyes look at Sasuke from behind her mask, and for a moment he thought he and Itachi shared a look she doesn't understand at all.


	26. Forest of Death (1)

**THIRD PERSON'S POV**

"Listen here you maggots!" Anko Mitarashi commands as the genins instantly turn quiet. Despite her revealing clothes, she holds no shame as she cockily stands there with a smirk on her face. Then she gestures towards the massive forest behind her, covered with numerous warning sighs. "Welcome to the stage for the second test!"

Inside, there are large insects crawling, visible from their sights. Even just from the surrounding high fence that closed the whole area, it screams of death. Many genins shudder in fear for their awaiting graves, but others who have seem worse remain calm.

"Area 44, also known as..." the second proctor trails off with a dark amusement, "the Forest of death."

* * *

"What's wrong, Ki-chan?" Tobi asks in worry, because ever since what happened yesterday, she's been acting strangely. To add to her horrible week, she also found herself in the apartment on the bed with Tobi snuggling her head and Itachi around her stomach.

Somehow, Hidan was kicked off but he's a heavy sleeper so that hardly woke him up. One can say that Kigura did not wake up in a good mood nor did her body's disposition.

"Why in the world did we all share a bed?" she deadpans but Tobi feigns ignorance.

"What are you talking about, Ki-chan? Oh, did you get it senpai?!" Tobi runs to Itachi who just got back from getting a scroll. On the other hand, Itachi seems awkward to notice that Kigura's attention is on him, considering how they all slept.

* * *

After all the scrolls have been distributed, all participants then go to their respective gates.

At Gate 38, Kabuto acknowledges his master when he passes by. At his strange actions, his teammates Yoroi and Misumi look confused, but then shows the same respect when they realize that it's Orochimaru, only in the form of a Kusa-nin.

"My vessel...?"

Kabuto looks down as that chilling voice asks.

"Quite aggressive, my lord..."

Orochimaru chuckles in a way that makes Yoroi and Misumi. They don't trust their master much.

"And the girl...?"

Kabuto stiffens for a moment as he feels anxious. "She knows... She didn't tell me but she know..."

But despite this, Orochimaru merely smirks.

"Clever, clever child..." he says to himself as he puts his kasa on. "Don't worry, Kabuto... I've got something that she won't be able to turn down... Just tell the others... most importantly Yūki... don't do anything to stop me."

And with that, Orochimaru walks away moments before Anko's announcement. Chūnins then unlock each gate of the group participants.

"The second test of the Chūnin Exams—now begins!"

On cue, the gates finally open as all the genin teams enter the forest with dread on their backs.

* * *

**Minutes in the second exam**

"You've got a lot of guts for challenging us head on like this..." one of the Kusagakure genins says, "Amegakure brats."

"Yeah, yeah," the other chants with a smirk.

Itachi remains indifferent while Tobi throws them a dirty look with his childish expression. The so-called Ame-nins know well that the arrogant opponents aren't even worth the effort to even see what they were actually capable of, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to waste a bit of their time.

"We'll start with the weakest one then." The leader cocks his head. "Let's start with the masked brat."

And that's their first mistake.

* * *

A shrill scream echoes out the forest, so blood-curling and pain-filled that it makes Anko chuckle to herself in amusement while outside the gates. "Already starting? That's nice."

"It is."

The sudden response makes her jump a bit though, before she throws a dirty look at Kakashi who's smiling at her under his mask.

"Don't scare me like that!" Anko scowls before frowning at his presence. "So what brings you here?"

She knows that the silver-haired man wouldn't be here without a reason. She knows him so well. And she guessed right, because his expression underneath suddenly turns serious.

"The Hokage orders to keep a closer eye than necessary on the genins."

"Why?"

"There are many genins to be wary of, as reported from Ibiki," Kakashi answers. "Those Sand siblings and those Ame-nins... especially the white-haired girl from Sound."

* * *

"This is easier than I thought," Nobara says flatly as she pokes the body laid on the ground that had been once called a Kusa-nin — but now just a corpse.

"Ooh! How lucky!" Tobi exclaims as he grabs the scroll from the dead genin's pocket. "We've finally got a heaven scroll!"

"We should head to the tower now."

"Ehh? But isn't it a bit too early to go to the tower now? It's barely even a couple of minutes," Tobi whines after he puts their ticket to pass the second test in his weapon pouch. "Can't we watch other genins for a while and see how they kill each other?"

"Don't be stupid." Nobara simply turns away, trying not to focus on the pain from Orochimaru's Unleashing Technique. Lately, it's been bothering her more and more.

"But—"

"She's right, Tobi." Itachi sighs, probably fed up too with Tobi's constant annoying voice. "And it's better if we move towards the tower now that there isn't much competition near the tower's perimeter."

In response, Tobi sighs in defeat because he knows Itachi is right. Unlike Tobi though, Itachi is much more perceptive of Nobara's current attitude.

"There's something bothering you, isn't there?" he asks quietly, but she doesn't acknowledge him. On the other hand, Tobi is a good distance from us, kicking a pebble and in his own mind. "Nobara...?"

"It's nothing," she says dismissively. "We should get going."

Without giving him a chance pry any longer, Nobara is instantly on her feet and starts to leave. Itachi's gaze lingers on her back as she walks then before he reluctantly follows her after a shake of his head. Tobi, with a small whine, follows too.

The rest of the journey is quiet, because Nobara shot down every chance Tobi tried to make conversation. To be honest, Tobi reminds her of a little worn who keeps squirming around, moving and twisting for attention. But the thing is, she hates bugs.

Amidst her annoyance, she stumbles in her tracks when her vision blurs and double for a moment, making her almost miss her footing on one of the branches.

"Nobara?" Itachi stops too as he and Tobi look at me in confusion. It must have been a while now that he's had suspicion that she isn't okay. He looks worried.

"What's wrong?" This time, it's Tobi who asks.

"It's nothing," she says, but they don't look convinced. "I said it's nothing okay? _Just leave it._ "

"Maybe we should rest," Itachi suggests and she's about to answer when suddenly a shirtless man comes flying out of the tress.

"Cannon ball, shitheads!"

What in the hell —

Itachi and Tobi immediately makes their way to the ground to avoid it, but Nobara knows better. Instead, she remains on the tree branch and readies to meet the man halfway with an uppercut. Her fist forces the man to flip as he's thrown to the ground near Itachi and Tobi.

"Hidan?" Itachi asks, recognizing the silver hair from anywhere.

"Owww," the Jashinist groans on the other hand as he uprights himself before holding his swollen chin and throwing Nobara a dirty look. "Goddamnit, what the hell was that for?!"

"I thought it was a package of shit."

"Shit my ass—"

"Senpai!!" Tobi cries happily as he then body slams the Jashinist to the ground with a tight embrace. This makes Nobara wonder how the masked man can act like a total idiot, even though Hidan is almost a decade younger than him.

"Ugh, Tobi get the hell off of me!"

"But Tobi missed senpai so much!" Tobi gushes, clinging onto the silver-haired man while the silver-haired man desperately tries to get him off to the point that he actually kicks Tobi just to be finally free.

"Damnit, keep your germs to yourself, Tobi!"

"What are you doing here, Hidan?" Nobara finally asks.

"Did you honestly intent to keep all the fun to yourselves? I didn't want to finish the mission so soon so I tagged along!" Hidan cackles. "I scared some little shits while looking for you guys!"

What were they expecting really?

There isn't anything logical when it comes to Hidan, Nobara thinks to herself.

"Hey!" Hidan throws her a dirty look.

"Did I just say that out loud?" Nobara asks, until she senses something that she suddenly shoves Hidan out of the way. He crashes on the ground ungracefully.

"You hit me the first time, what the hell was that shove for?!"

"Shut up and get out of the way!" Nobara commands him, but the stupid man just doesn't listen so the kunais coming his way lodges to his shoulder and he shrieks.

Idiot.

"Whoever the fuck that is, come out and face us like a man!"

"You speak so foul, yet you didn't even sense my dear kunais," a voice hisses in mockery. "How pathetic."

"You came here sooner than I excepted, Orochimaru," Nobara says lowly as the pale man emerges from the shadows, laughing.

* * *

**At the same time...**

"Miwako," the brown-haired boy starts. "You're still upset, aren't you?"

"Shut up," the white-haired girl sneers, a dangerous look in her pale eyes. "You know better to ask me that because you already know, Shouri. If that... that person hadn't been so troublesome, there wouldn't be just two of us right now. _She'll pay for this_."

He looks at her once more. "You're not going to kill her... are you?"

But the way the girl named Miwako looks at him tells him more than enough. "I'm sure elder brother wouldn't mind for going ahead."

Shouri looks worried for a second as he looks at her, but he knows that whatever his opinion would be it won't matter to Miwako.

"He won't," he finally answers and the girl smiles so sweetly that it's almost sickening that the genins watching them in that moment freezes as those pale eyes look at them.

"For now, let's kill the rats, shall we?"


	27. Forest of Death (2)

**THIRD PERSON'S POV**

The sudden explosion of large snakes brings all four of them apart to save damage to themselves, parting them further away from each other when the snakes scatter to the ground. Orochimaru uses this to have Nobara all to himself.

"Should I praise you for scattering us like you wanted?"

"I suppose being praised by a princess isn't so bad." He chuckles. "But rather than that, it's come to my attention that it has gotten bad, huh?"

"Shut up," she sneers at him, but this makes her wince as the pain suddenly shoots up. Her vision suddenly starts to blur and she wobbles a little.

"You shouldn't fight it so much, then you would feel better, hime-sama—"

"I said shut up!"

Just hearing him speak makes her blood boil that her eyes suddenly glow into a Sharingan. She glares at him before releases ice in the shape of kunais at him, but it only lodges to the trees.

"You've gotten slow, haven't you?"

"Have I?"

Orochimaru flinches when he senses her behind him before he can even expect her kicking him. The impact throws him forward as she weaves hand seals and releases a gust of icy wind along with him.

There are several cuts on his arms from where the small particles of ice grazed him when he regains his footing, but by this time sweat is already building up on her forehead.

 _Weak, weak, weak_ , something chants inside her head. 

She grits her teeth at the voice, trying to ignore it but she knows it's speaking the truth. Orochimaru laughs then which just agitates her even more. He turns to the side and spits blood, his eyes not once leaving her. If only she can mop off that dirty smirk on his face.

"As expecting..." he says, "even with the effects of the Unleashing Technique, you are still able to hold your own."

"Shut your mouth."

Orochimaru only responds this time by opening his mouth so wide a large snake slithers out of him. It strikes forward, its jaw wide and ready to devour her but she leaps out of its reach. She weaves hand seals and throws ice bullets into its open mouth.

But behind her, as she finally reaches the ground, a series of small snakes wrap around her ankles. She counters this by solidifying them into ice as she breaks free, distracted enough that she barely blocks how Orochimaru lunges at her face to face with a huge kunai in his hand.

Their repulsion with each other throws her back as, regardless of her overpowering ability, she's still no match for him in terms of physical strength. However, Orochimaru's large snake appears behind her with its mouth wide open again.

As she hand no other choice, she forces herself to use Space-Time Technique to escape, but in the end of it she's left a mess. She feels pathetic at how she's panting and sweating like she hasn't before as an explosion of pain settles in his head and back shoulder.

The pain is too overwhelming that when Orochimaru is in front of her again she barely moves anymore.

"Kо̄yо̄," he says, but that alone makes her stop. "Would you like to know more about the woman who gave birth to you?"

"What?"

Orochimaru merely smiles, reaching out to take off her mask that her hand throws forward but he easily catches it. He succeeds in unmasking her and she's already far too tired to make anymore movement.

However, with glowing red eyes, she glares at him just to show him how much she loathes his very existence.

"You're shaking..." he notes and only then does she realize how her hand is trembling so much while in his grip, but she only glares at him more.

"Why go through this so much trouble?" she demands him, gripping the paper tag with her other hand. "What do you want?"

"You don't understand, do you?" He looks at her with no longer amusement. "I'm not playing with your life, if that's what you're thinking. What I know about you... is more than you think."

He caresses her face, but Nobara has had enough of him. Much to his surprise, the one that stands in front of Orochimaru then is a kawarimi emblazoned with explosives. But before he can even pull away, it already detonates as he screams when the fire licks at his skin.

From a distance, her hands move again as she summons a huge ball of ice out of her mouth.

"Hyōton: Great Hail Technique!"

Orochimaru flinches as the ball of ice spikes hurls to his direction. She's used last bit of her energy that she collapses to the ground then but even with such intricate series of techniques Orochimaru isn't one of the Sannin for nothing.

Even in his half scalded skin and bleeding arm, he stands before her surprisingly not as crazed as she thought he would be.

 _I guess this is it_.

She's already tired enough as it is. "You're quite persistent, aren't you?"

"I think you've misunderstood my reason of coming here," he says, half-trying to heal himself in the midst of their conversation. "I'm not here to make conflict with you."

"You're failing at that," she sneers.

"If so, that I apologize..." He smiles in a way that makes her wary. "I'm here to help you cope with the pain."

"You're the one who did this to me and now you're helping me?"

"Don't be mistaken," he tells her. "I still stand with what I said. If you don't fight it, it will hurt less."

Something deafening in her ears then as she feels _it_ surface closer together with the pain.

 _What are you so afraid of?_ she hears it speak. 

Nobara looks at Orochimaru again, but this time it feels like he sees something in her she doesn't. 

"I know a lot more... than you think I do, hime-sama..."

"What are you talking about...?"

"Don't you know the truth about your birth?" he asks her with an ominous smile. "The truth between your mother and father."

* * *

"That fucking snake!" Hidan shrieks as he swings his scythe around to ward of the snakes while cutting them up to shreds at the same time. Because of his anger, he handles it all on his own that Itachi and Tobi doesn't even need to lift a finger to help. "Fucking! Die! You! Disgusting! Crawlies!"

"That's enough, Hidan," Itachi says as Hidan continues to smack the dead reptiles into the ground. 

"That bastard snake must be asking for a deathbed for taking Kigura away from us!"

"Calm down..."

"What do you mean calm down? How the fuck can I calm down when Kigura is missing?!"

"Your anger doesn't help the situation." Itachi narrows his eyes. Hidan looks like he wants to say something, but he only looks away with a click of his tongue.

"What now then?"

On the other hand, Tobi stands in silence, different from the one he usually portrays. In that moment, he is not Tobi, but Hidan glares at him for his lack of reaction.

"And you, Tobi? Are you really just gonna stand there?"

Tobi's fist clench and Hidan finally notices the difference from the usually idiotic man. But Hidan doesn't have time to argue with him.

"Fine," he snarls. "If you're all just gonna stand there, I'll be the better man and look for Kigura myself."

While Hidan disappears into the trees, Itachi turns to Tobi with a wary gaze. "Looking calm at this moment, it's hard to decipher whether you actually care for your daughter, Tobi..."

But even then, Tobi refuses to speak. This time, Itachi just shakes his head before he too disappears into the trees.

* * *

"What do you mean truth?" Nobara asks in confusion, growing wary when Orochimaru smiles so knowingly.

"Did you actually think that you're the only one to blame for the fall of Hyо̄gakure?"

"You don't know what you're talking about," she snarls at him.

"You should stop feeding yourself lies." Orochimaru shakes his head before outstretching his hand towards her. "Come... and I'll show you the truth. Come to me and I'll show you everything that you need."

"Why should I believe you?"

"I guess it's still too difficult to trust someone like me, but I assure you that out of all the people you know I'm the only one who's telling you the truth."

Because Orochimaru doesn't need to lie to her. Her knowing about everything is what he actually needs so that he can have her the way he wants.

With much observation, he has discovered that the masked man of Akatsuki is an Uchiha, for he fathered the child in front of him now. The fact that Nobara is a product of both Uchiha and Kira makes her so desirable that Orochimaru wants her for himself, but he has better plans in store for her.

"The truth..." she mumbles and he smirks. "Was the massacre really more than I thought it was?"

"It's a pity you blamed yourself all this time... I'll tell you a little more if you agree to my terms, and the rest will follow when you fulfill it."

"Fulfill what?"

"After the exams, five of my men will arrive here with two of them already within the Leaf's grounds. What I want... is for you to come with them."

"Is that all?" she asks, refraining herself from lashing out on him.

"Of course the other one... I'm sure you're already well aware with."

Yes, she does know what he wants. She grows wary all of a sudden, but her curiosity is far stronger than what could be the end of her. And so she looks away and pulls down her collar as Orochimaru smirks.

"Such a powerful mark engraved on such a small and feeble child..." He's already standing behind her then as he marvels at the symbol on her back shoulder. "For giving me such an honor, I'll give you this... that masked man..."

She stiffens as she feels him talk against her shoulder.

"Why don't you ask him who Rin is?"

Before she can even react, he's already bitten through her skin. 


	28. Forest of Death (3)

**THIRD PERSON'S POV**

_All she could think of was to run away. She ran as far as her small legs could take her, and the farther she went the darker it became. She was trembling, not from the cold but from the fear._

_But not matter how far she went, the whispers continued to follow her._

_She flinched when a scream resounded in the background. She looked so frightened that she longed for his presence, which was strange because she hadn't met him before._

_"Papa...?" she called out, but there was this blinding pain that suddenly shot all around her body._

The vision disappears as Nobara falls to her knees. She feels the mark on her back shoulder burn and spread along her body that she can only bite down on her lips so stop herself from screaming.

"To go through this much pain just for the truth..." Orochimaru watches her, "perhaps you got that from your mother."

" _Shut up, you sick bastard_."

"Ah." He smiles. "I guess you still have the energy to curse me out. Truly... that Jashinist is not a good influence on your vocabulary."

" _That's none of your goddamn business_."

This time, Orochimaru only smiles as he steps away from her.

"Remember our deal, Princess of Koori," he says. "I'll see you soon."

And with that, he disappears into the forest like he was never there. Nobara writhes on the ground then, clawing at the soil as she shuts her eyes tightly to deal with the pain.

"Kigura...?" someone says and she barely makes out the silver hair with her dimming eyes. "What happened to you—..." 

And then everything went black.

* * *

_"As the mother of the new Heika, I will not allow this foolishness, Hanyūdō!" Kokiden bellowed angrily. "For a Kira elder to take in a child monster is unheard of!"_

_From the other side of the door, Nobara flinched as her eyes dropped to her feet. It had become a bad habit.  
_

_"That innocent child deserves to be treated with love, not like how she is subjected in this castle," Hanyūdō said, remaining calm._

_"Only a fool would show love towards a monster," Kokiden snarled._

_"Then I'm better off as a fool." The elder woman stared at her with unwavering eyes. "Just know that you may be in a position of power now, but as long as that child bears the mark of the heir much like her mother did, she is the rightful heir to this clan."  
_

_"She may be Kо̄yо̄'s child, but half of her is unworthy. A bastard like her has no right to ascend!"_

_"Watch your tongue," Hanyūdō snarled. "I will raise that child in a manner fit for a royal heir like her."  
_

_Kokiden stormed out of the room then and Nobara stumbled as she shrank under the woman's heated gaze. Afraid, she ran away because that was the only thing she was good at. Run away from their hateful eyes. Run away from the reality and the truth._

_"A bastard like her."_

_She ran as far as she could until she collapsed on the snow. Then a cough tore through her mouth. Her lungs hurt and she felt weak, like she always had been.  
_

* * *

**Meanwhile...**

"Yūki, where are you going? We're almost at the tower!" Tayuya yells after her fair-haired teammate.

"Don't follow me, Tayuya-san. Go back!"

"No!" she answers back as she follows him through the trees. "Not until I know where you're going!"

"Something's wrong," he says softly as he stops in one of the branches. He looks torn and worried.

"Is this about her?" Tayuya asks and the boy stiffens. "He warned us not to meddle with his plans. Even if you have superior senses, tracking them down will be difficult!"

"I can at least try."

And with that, he disappears in a blink of an eye. It hadn't even occurred to Tayuya that the boy would use kawarimi so he can get her off his back.

On the other hand, while searching around the forest, Itachi stops at the presence of overwhelming chakra from his younger brother. He hadn't meant to stay long, but somehow he finds himself watching.

"S-Sasuke-kun... your body," the pink-haired girl stammers.

Almost entirely the half of his body, Sasuke is covered with black markings that spread around his body like flames, and in his eyes, the Sharingan is spinning in threatening control.

At the sight of him, even Team Asuma, Team Guy and the Sound genins look shocked and wary of Sasuke, who was out cold just a while ago, is now emitting an incredible amount of chakra.

"I feel power overflowing within me. He gave it to me..." His voice sounds darker too, more evil. "I finally understand it... _I'm an avenger_."

The Oto-nin flinches at the malice upon his voice. Dosu, one of them, can't even believe that Sasuke Uchiha managed to stand up on his own feet after receiving the Cursed Seal from his Master. 

"Now... it was you guys, wasn't it?"

Realizing how dangerous things are getting, Shikamaru turns to grab his female teammate's unconscious body and yells at Kin, "This is bad. Ino, get back to your body. Choji, let's go!"

"Dosu! Don't tell me you're afraid of this half dead freak!" Zaku snarls as he slams his palms together before pointing it at the Uchiha's direction.

"No, Zaku! You don't realize—" But before Dosu can even finish his warning, Zaku has already made his move. His Ultimate Zankuha releases an angry explosion of wind that speeds forward. Its aggressive force knocks down several trees and peels off some layer off the ground.

The other genins duck for cover and as the winds calm Zaku thought he had finished it.

"Heh! See, Dosu? I've blown him away!"

"Blown who away?" Sasuke asks.

Zaku flinches, not even given the chance to be shocked when Sasuke flicks his arm at him strong enough to toss the Oto-nin a few meters away. Dosu can only watch at the Uchiha's speed, but Sasuke isn't even half finished yet.

He cast mythical flames towards Zaku who tries to blow them away, but the flames only dissolves to reveal shurikens that he isn't able to avoid. Nobody sees Sasuke coming. The next thing Zaku knows, the Uchiha is behind him with a hold on both his arms.

"So you're proud of these arms?"

Before Zaku even realizes his position, a sickening snap sounds the forest and the Oto-nin breaks out into a scream. He lands on the floor when Sasuke kicks him.

"You're the only one left," the Uchiha says to Dosu as he approaches him. "I hope you let me have more fun..."

Dosu backs away, but he's already cornered. He knows he's no match for this Sasuke, not when he is too afraid and weak. Just when he knows he's finished, Sakura holds Sasuke back and clings to him, but not even that can get rid off the Cursed Seal.

"You're strong..." Dosu says as Sasuke narrows his eyes at him, but the Oto-nin merely kneels down to offer his team's scroll. "Sasuke-kun, we can't defeat you at this time, so here's a gift... Please take our scroll and let us leave."

"Wait! Who is Orochimaru? What did he do to Sasuke-kun?!" Sakura demands.

"I don't know," Dosu answers. "We were merely ordered to kill your teammate."

And with that, the Sound genins are gone, but Sasuke's overwhelming chakra has yet to subside. From the corner of his eye, he looks at the other Uchiha spectating them all this time.

"You've been watching us for quite some time now. Come out."

Sakura looks confused for a moment before a figure leaps down to the ground with them.

"Heiwa," Sasuke acknowledges.

"Sasuke."

"You... _fight me_." The look of malice on the younger boy is unfathomable.

"I don't plan to fight you," _Heiwa_ says, irritating the younger boy.

"Maybe I could change your mind." He's about to strike the so-called Ame-nin in the face, but that is until a hand catches his wrist just as his fist is mere inches away from impact. 

"I wouldn't do that if I were Sasuke-chan," comes a very enthusiastic voice.

Of all the people that are startled by the scene, it's Neji who takes it much more seriously. The sudden appearance of the other Ame-nin in a manner his Byakugan didn't even detect leaves him wary.

More than that, the flow of chakra in the stranger isn't that of a normal genin.

"Tobi..."

From Neji's keen eyes, he can see how the said boy has Sasuke's wrist in a grip tight enough to stop his circulation of blood. It surprises him that Sasuke isn't even flinching.

"Tobi, that's enough..." Itachi says warningly this time.

With gritted teeth, Sasuke merely shoves Tobi away from him while the silly boy whines in discomfort. "Oww, that kinda hurt."

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura goes to his side when his body is beginning to cave in to the effects of the Cursed Seal.

"What are you doing here?"

"What was Heiwa-kun doing here?" the other boy questions back. His voice is still friendly, but there is an undertone of threat in it. "Ki-chan isn't here. It's ben almost an hour since we've parted and you're playing around?"

"I'm not playing around," Itachi says firmly.

"No... But from the looks of it, Heiwa-kun doesn't care much for our teammate, does he?"

"That's not true," Itachi says, his eyes almost changing to a Sharingan.

"AHH!!" a voice suddenly catches them off guard as Naruto Uzumaki flails around, looking like he just woke up. "Quickly, everyone! Hide! Where is that Snake guy?!"

Shikamaru and Choji watch Naruto throw himself to the ground and eyes his surroundings. Maybe hitting the boy on the head with a stick was a bad idea. _Still_.

Choji pokes Naruto on the bump on his head and Shikamaru stares at him. _What an idiot_.

"S-Sakura-chan?!" the idiot exclaims, his eyes finally landing on his pink-haired teammate. "Y-Your hair...!"

"Ah, Naruto... You're awake." Sakura blinks, obviously still perturbed. Naruto is pointing at her hair. "This? Haha, I'm trying to my image. I liked it longer, but you know in the forest it might get in the way..."

"Ah, I see, I see." Naruto nods his head in understanding.

"C'mon, Heiwa-kun. We've wasted enough time," Tobi says, grabbing their attention again.

"Wait. What were they doing here?" Naruto asks dumbly.


	29. Preliminaries (1)

**THIRD PERSON'S POV**

"What the hell are you doing here?" is the first thing Nobara asks when she woke up, still a bit dizzy from the earlier events. But unlike the first time, she feels surprisingly better. What she doesn't expect is waking up to Hidan. Out of habit, she keeps a distance from him like he's some sort of disease.

"Is that any way to treat the person who treated your wounds?" Hidan asks angrily.

"Treat my wounds?"

"That's right I—Why are you backing away even further from me?!" Then he flushes when he notices the amount of bandages he wrapped around her. "I did not touch you inappropriately!"

He continues to explain himself, but she doesn't really care much for what he has to say. Instead, her attention turns to the rustle behind the bushes as she senses something.

"Hidan, shut up for a moment."

"No, what do you mean shut up? I'm not done ye—"

"Shut up!" Nobara says just as a blur of black bursts from the bushes, lunging at the Jashinist with its row of razor sharp teeth snapping at his throat and then his eyes spin.

* * *

In addition to the many surprises in Konoha, the creature really isn't as scary as it initially appeared. In fact, it only appeared ferocious because it seemed like it was only a lost baby of its kind. Now, it's only a docile-looking thing in a form of an abnormally huge furry bat almost bigger than Hidan himself.

The Jashinist decided to call it Oni because it was the first thing he thought when bit off his finger, buried the disgusting thing and returned like it was expecting a reward—

"Disgusting? That's my fucking finger!" Hidan roars in outrage as Nobara realizes she said her thoughts out loud. "Damnit, you little monster, where here the fuck did you hide it?!"

A laugh almost spills out from her mouth when Hidan points at the creature, not realizing his pointing with his missing finger. But she only coughs.

"Don't be so rude."

"Rude? My finger is missing!"

On the other hand, the bat only looks at Hidan with huge black eyes. When she sighs, Nobara starts walking and the bat follows behind her like a puppy.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

"Somewhere," she answers, "that doesn't contain idiots."

"Hey!" But nonetheless he jobs after me, flinching when the bat turns to him and snarls. "The hell is with your problem, you Oni bitch?"

"You can't keep calling it that."

"Why the hell not?"

"It's because it means you're going to keep it."

Hidan mumbles something, but she doesn't care to hear the rest of it. "So, um, you're a girl huh..."

"Apparently."

"What do you mean apparently?" he asks loudly in that annoying voice. "You had us fooled thinking you were a boy! If you hadn't pretended, we wouldn't have mistaken you as one!"

"I wasn't pretending to be a boy," she says firmly. "I just never bothered to correct anyone of you."

"To hell with that!" Hidan says, crossing his arms even though in the back of his mind he knows she's right. "Girl or both, whatever. I'm losing brain cells talking about it anyway."

"You can't loose something you don't have, Hidan."

He looks like he's about to blow again, but finally realizing it's only going to be futile to pick up a verbal fight with her he only sighs away his intentions. "Fuck it. Where the hell are we anyway?"

"We're close to a cliff."

"Why are we going towards a cliff—"

The next thing he knows, Hidan is screaming at the top of his lungs just as Nobara kicks him off the edge as the huge bat looks at her with its huge eyes.

"He'll survive," is the only thing she says before walking off.

* * *

**Forest of Death Tower**

Anko barely looks presentable as she bears with the pain coming from the Cursed Seal on her neck. It's even a feat that she can maintain a calm face in front of the Hokage.

"Orochimaru?" Hiruzen asks in surprise. He almost drops the smoking pipe just as he hears of that name. "His presence is right by Konoha's perimeter, yet you ask me to continue on the Chūnin exams?"

"Hokage-sama, please..." Anko says. "Orochimaru's retaliation would arise without warning if we are to stop it now."

At her words, the Hokage falls silent. Anko's head drops almost as if she is ashamed of what has transpired, but he knows none of this is her fault. 

He wears a grave expression.

"Alright..." he finally concedes, because there is no other choice. If he were to go against Anko, the village will suffer. "We'll continue the Chūnin Exams... There's also something else, isn't there?"

"One of the genins, Lord Hokage. Another Oto-nin..." Anko elaborates. "It started as a small interest at first, when somehow we came upon an interesting information."

"Information, you say?"

"She wasn't born of the Sound. In fact, she moved there only when she was six."

"How exactly is this relevant?"

"It's because I suspect her to be a Kira, Hokage-sama..."

"A Kira, you say?" Hiruzen repeats. "That's impossible!"

Because since the massacre, there hasn't been any records of any of its members survival.

"With the background check we've gathered on her along with her fair hair and eyes, it really isn't a wonder why nobody have put two and two together..." Anko says with Hiruzen's gaze not once leaving her. "And I'm afraid, Lord Hokage, that she might also be under Orochimaru's influence."

* * *

**Back in the forest**

"That wasn't very nice," says a voice behind Nobara soon after she just kicked Hidan off the cliff.

"I don't play nice, Kagem," she answers him. 

He seems out of breath, like he ran all the way here. But somehow she senses that he's also relieved. But for what? She doesn't really understand the boy.

"My name is not Kagem. Why do you call me that?" He sighs softly when he realizes she won't be entertaining his question. "Pleas call me Yūki."

"Why did you stray from your teammates and ran all the way here?" she asks him instead, and he grows silent because she figured him out perfectly. He did ditch his teammates just to be here right now.

"Does it hurt?" he asks, worrying that she might be in some pain even though she seems perfectly fine now. And at his question, she suddenly grows more wary of him. How does he know?

"You can for a reason." She purses her lips.

"Yes... I did..."

"Enough. What's your purpose here?"

But she senses something in him. It isn't threatening, but she doesn't recognize it much. Instead of prying him for answers though, she decides to look away.

"No matter... I don't care anymore."

She feels a bit sluggish and she doesn't understand why Kagem seems worried for her. It doesn't matter. She doesn't matter.

_Then what matters?_

_Stop it_ , she responds to the voice. _Stop it_...

_You don't belong here, foolish girl. You belong to me. You and I, we're one and the same._

What is it talking about...?

"Are you okay?"

She slaps his hand when he's about to touch her.

"You should leave," she snarls at him. "Your presence confuse me. I don't care what your purpose is, so leave."

"I only want to accompany you..."

She decides to ignore him instead as she walks past him, but he follows behind her nonetheless. It's strange, because she doesn't really know him and yet she feels a sense of familiarity with him. The voice surfaces out in his presence, but somehow she also finds comfortable silence with him now as he trails behind her.

"Nobara-san..."

She keeps ignoring him.

"Nobara-san, are you really not going to talk to me?" he asks her sadly, but she can care less of what he feels.

"You're already following me on your own accord. It's too much to ask for me to entertain you too."

"I didn't—"

She feels his cheeks heat up, but right then she feels a sudden discomfort on her back shoulder again.

Damnit.

Stupid Hidan.

Somehow, blaming the Jashinist for the pain makes her feel better.

"Ki-chan!" she hears a familiar voice before her so-called father suddenly bursts out of nowhere. Even though he knows she hates when he suddenly invades her personal space, he still hugs her anyway.

Behind him, there are two others aside from Itachi, apparently Kagem's teammates.

"We've wasted enough time here. Let's head to the tower."

"Wait!" Kagem tries to stop her.

"Yūki?" his female teammate asks in confusion.

"Let's go together," the white-haired boy continues. "We are also heading to the tower ourselves, so let's go together."

Instead of answering him though, Nobara leaps into the trees as Itachi and Tobi naturally follow behind her. The white-haired boy smiles and then follows as well. His teammates don't understand why he is smiling though.

All throughout, their journey is quiet and Tobi doesn't bother her with his usual idiocy. To be honest, she likes him better this way. The other team doesn't bother to make conversation with them too, which is a relief.

There are several other genin teams who try to attack them, but they easily subjugate them before going on their way again. And then before long, they finally arrive at the tower as one of the last ones to arrive. This causes several eyes on them, but Nobara hardly cares even as the Hokage and the second proctor congratulate them all.

She hardly listens what else they have to say, because she's too annoyed at Orochimaru's presence in one of the jо̄nin senseis. It isn't long before another proctor who introduces himself as Gekko Hayate arrives.

"So before we start the start the third test... I need you all to participate in a preliminary round..." said the sickly-looking man.

"Preliminary?" one of the genins, Sakura, "Hayate-sensei, I don't understand this preliminary but... why aren't all the people allowed to participate in the next test?"

"because the first and second test may have been too easy this year... We have... a bit too manny people remaining... According to the Chūnin Exams' Rules, the people in charge have to reduce the number of participants for the third test...

"So those who are not feeling well... and those who feel like quitting after these explanations... please come forward now because we will be starting the preliminary immediately..."

Almost immediately, Kabuto raises his hand with an almost embarrassed face.

"You're Kabuto Yukushi, correct?" Hayate peers at the list on his hand. "Well, you may leave now..."

"Kabuto-san! Why are you quitting now?!" Naruto bursts out, annoying the others with his loud voice.

"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun... but my body is all beat up already..."

 _Tch, what a liar_ , Nobara sneers in her thoughts. _He's capable of healing his damn self._

"Actually, I haven't been able to hear out of my left ear from the first test and now... we have to risk our lives? I..."

Naruto looks speechless at what he said and only ends up looking down at his feet. Then just as Hayate said, Kabuto stops only for a moment for his teammates before proceeding to leave the arena after a wave towards the Uzumaki.

"Ki-chan..." Tobi says from beside her, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Maybe you should also..."

"Shut up, Tobi," she says harshly, stopping him from even finishing his sentence.

"But—"

"My decision to continue is mine to make," she sneers, slapping his hand off. She doesn't mean to sound so mean, but the fact that there are many things she doesn't know about her own family agitates her.

Tobi looks sadly at her, but despite his opposition he doesn't say anything more. 

"This preliminary consists on one-on-one fighting... You will basically fight as if in real life confrontation. Since we now have twenty-eight participants, we will conduct fourteen matches. And... the winner will advance to the third test," Hayate continues. "Killing is also allowed because there won't be any rules on this one..."

And just then, some excitement fills the room.

It seems there are some genins who want to kill.

"Now this device here..." Hayate says, gesturing towards the electric scoreboard that's recently revealed. "This will be the object that controls who you will fight against. If there are no more interruptions, then we shall begin..."

No one speaks and the silence answers for itself. Hayate and the other jо̄nins as well as the Hokage smirks when the scoreboard begins to pick names. And finally, that is the moment when the special young people are chosen to fight against each other.

_Shouri vs. Yūki_


End file.
